Beer Review: Double BBA 6 Pairs of Legs Maple Porter

Reviewing the Double BBA 6 Pairs of Legs Maple Porter from Dark Horse Brewing Company out of Marshall, Michigan. This beer is billed on the label as a "maple porter made with Dark Horse Syrup Co. maple syrup and aged in a bourbon barrel and then aged in a bourbon barrel that had maple syrup aged in it."

Score: 85

December 2013 release. Served in an O'so snifter and enjoyed on 02/12/14.

Appearance: Deep brown, almost black in color. Pours a thin coating of light khaki head that quickly settles to a ring around the glass. Poor lacing, okay retention, average oily legs. 3.75/5

Smell: Maple, brown sugar, bourbon, light alcohol esters and subtle notes of vanilla and oak. Chocolate pudding towards the end of the whiff too. The oak and vanilla characters develop a slightly vegetal twang as this beer warms up. 3.5/5


Taste: Boozy, no vegetal flavor. Brown sugar forward bourbon, lots of oak, chocolate, and vanilla. Has a very mild sweet maple backbone. The maple is not nearly as prominent as you would expect from a maple porter finished in maple bourbon barrels. Very fiery out of the gate. Integration is mediocre, though there are some delicious pieces present. Maybe time will mellow this out into something more seamless? Finishes with a nice residual mix of chocolate and maple. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Not quite full bodied, low carbonation. Dry, sticky finish. Has a sweetness that is balanced by an underlying bitterness and booziness. 4.25/5

Overall: This bottle tasted much better than the pour I had at FOBAB, but it ultimately does not live up to its appetizing description. The maple flavor is nice, but way too subtle for a beer made with maple and finished in maple-bourbon barrels. I could see this one getting better with time given how rough-around-the-edges it is.

Cost: $8 for a 12 oz bottle.