Fuller's London Porter

This beer has a strong coffee and chocolate taste. It is lightly carbonated so is velvety smooth on the palette. This is a heavy beer and one was enough for me. It is so dark in a pint glass that even when held up to a light it is practically opaque.

Fuller's London Porter recommends itself as a "after-dinner drink" and I would have to say it's a good idea to follow that recommendation. With food, its taste and texture borders on syrupy and didn't leave me feeling all that well. I drank about half before eating a sandwich (melted cheddar and turkey flavoured soy meat on whole wheat bread) and I enjoyed the first half a lot better than the second half.

As usual I purchased it at the local NBLC for $3.99 and it came half litre bottle. At 5.4% alcohol this beer could pass well as a night-cap. In fact I feel, because the flavour is as heavy as it is, this ale would be ideally suited for sharing one bottle after a meal between each pair of dinner guests.

I'm not a big fan of black beers to begin with but despite the disagreement between food and this beer I must say it is well balanced (as seems to characterize each of the Fuller beers I have tried so far) and tasty. It aims to be desert beer and of that it does a good job. If you like black beers heavily flavoured with dark chocolate and coffee then this is one you should not miss.

'Fuller's London Pride: Outstanding Premium Ale'

This beer has a full malty flavour that is excellently balanced. It tastes like what a lot of other beers aim for when they go with a heavy malt taste but where other beers frequently overshoot into bitterness Fuller's LONDON PRIDE stays within a flavourful and ever so slightly fruity taste range that doesn't overpower and leaves a smooth and short lived aftertaste. This would go excellently with a meal or standard pub snacks or on its own.

I purchased it at the local New Brunswick Liquor store in a handsome 500ml bottle for the sum of $3.99 (all prices Canadian dollars) and drank it mid-afternoon while, unsurprisingly, writing this review. At 4.7% alcohol it's a weaker beer (by Canadian standards) but the flavour makes up for "missing" 0.3% booze. While I only drank this one bottle this afternoon I feel as though there wouldn't be any issue drinking three or four more if my intention was to get soused. In fact, the smooth and short lived aftertaste make it a good candidate for a night of drinking - the same cannot be said for many other beers that have as impressive and complex a taste.

I like this beer and heartily recommend it!