Brewery: Boggart Hole Clough
Location: Manchester, England
ABV: 4.7%
Version: Bottled
Source: Manchester Farmer’s Market

Of the three Boggart Hole beers I bought a few months back, this is the one I had the highest hopes for. The potential combination of exotic sweetness from the rum and the smoky bitterness of the porter was an intriguing one.

Alas, it didn’t quite live up to expectation when the time came – the beer poured well: dark ruby body, thick, frothy tan head, enticingly fruity, spirit aroma on the nose. But both the taste and mouth-feel turned out to be less impressive. For a start, I think the beer was probably over-carbonated as there was a definite fizz on the tongue. And as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I do prefer a stout or porter with a creamier, silkier mouth-feel (like Boggart’s own Chocolat Noir for instance).

As for that anticipated blend of flavours, well, the rum did give it an interesting edge, to begin with. But after a while it seemed as thought the rum was conspiring with the porter’s own coffee characteristics to add more of a sour than a sweet note (although I wonder if perhaps that was another side-effect of the carbonation?) It wasn’t quite enough to ruin the overall experience – the beer was still drinkable enough to finish – but overall, Boggart Rum Porter was a long way from the best of the stouts and porters I’ve tried recently.

Of the three Boggart beers in that Farmer’s Market pack I picked up, I’d have to say that the Chocolat Noir was the definite winner, with the Waterloo Sunset Porter coming in a close second and the Rum Porter lagging in third place. And given the cost of the three-pack (£10 iirc) it seems unlikely that I’ll be picking up another one any time soon. Although if I can actually find the Boggart Brewery some time (it’s only about 10 mins. from my place after all) then I’d happily try a few of their other brews. It’s even more important than ever to support your local producers, after all.