Gaspar’s Porter

Finally picked up my World Beer Direct shipment and found some free time between my classes in sunny Vancouver Washington to grab something out of the refrigerator and do a tasting. Let’s see what we have here…

Stats:
Brewery – Florida Beer Co. in Melbourne, Florida
Style – Robust Porter
ABV – 5.8%IBUs - 35.0
Malts – 2-Row Pale, Munich, Caramel, Dark ChocolateHops – Northern Brewer, Goldings, Liberty
Serving Type – 12 oz. bottle

I’m always interested in learning about the buildings that upstart breweries start off in. The entrepreneur that wants to begin their own brewery very rarely has enough money to start off in a brand new building, so they find creative ways to convert older buildings. In the case of the Ybor City Brewing Company, Humberto Perez opened his doors 100 years after the Seidenberg and Company cigar factory opened its doors in the same building in 1894. Mr. Perez’s grandfather founded Cerveceria, one of the largest breweries in Venezuela around 75 years ago.

Gaspar’s Porter is named after the legendary pirate Jose Gaspar who, in the late 18th century, sailed the waters of West Florida. In 1904 a pirate festival was started in Tampa became known as “Gasparilla”. Ybor Gold Gaspar’s Porter was created specifically for the event.

Glass – “Beer” Pint Glass

Aroma – The first thing that I smell is some sweet malty caramel sweetness. Right behind that I get the coffee and cocoa powder aromas that you would expect from a well made porter. Finally there is a hint of plumb or other dark fruit lingering.

Appearance – Very dark brown in color with ruby highlights. It has a small brown crown leaving virtually no lace.

Flavor – On the first sip the sides of my tongue were hit hard by a very sweet flavor causing me to pucker up. On the next sip it was all balanced out. There are some moderate roasty and coffee flavors. The hops contribute a little hoppyness and just a hint of citrus. It finishes dry with some lingering sourness.

Mouthfeel – Light to medium body with a watery feel. Not much carbonation either.

Final Thoughts – I don’t think this beer matches up very well under the style guidelines, but it’s still an ok beer. It’s nothing really special, but it is really easy drinking and I will enjoy drinking the rest. I like it because it doesn’t have as much coffee flavor and bitterness as most porters, but keeps the caramel and dark fruit flavors that I like.