Busted Knuckle

Busted Knuckle by Quaff ON! Brewing Co. is being evaluated as style 20A, American Porter, per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines.

Into the glass, it pours a deep brown/black with ruby highlights when put up to light. The head is on the thinner side and falls quickly. In the nose, it has classic porter aromatics of caramel, light cocoa powder, toasted malt, and the faintest hint of nondescript hops. There’s a low sense of generically fruity esters, maybe stone fruit. Definitely somewhere between an American and British Porter.

On tasting, it is fairly roast driven, with some light chocolate-type notes and caramel. The bitterness seems elevated to support this, with not much in the way of sweetness. There is a peculiar tanginess here that seems slightly out of place. That acidic bite increases through the finish, not quite unpleasant, but not really ideal either. I think I’d like to see a bit less of that acidic note and a bit more malt expression, or even hop presence to increase interest and drinkability.

No astringency on the palate, with appropriate carbonation and body, but the acid lingers.

Overall, nice enough, but it needs a bit of refinement to round it out. Honestly, a touch of sweetness would really help here, and I don’t say that often!