Brodie's Prime (Hawkshead)

Billed as category breaking beer and delivered by hand from the Lake District tap room by bunker co host Paul, but the question is: What is a Premium Dark Ale?

The nose is light, hints of blackberry, a solid pinch of Cascade floralness, but a Black IPA this not.

What hits the tongue to start is a wave of dryness, that only builds in intensity as the malt unravels. A Black chocolate bitterness takes control before leading to the hops. The Bramling Cross give a fruity blackcurrent kick of bitterness at the end which leave a strong lasting impression on the beer.

7/10 A well hopped porter with some strong blackcurrent notes.

Alice Porter (Brewdog)

Brewdog allege that this "renaissance baltic porter" is the result of a 300 year old recipe. The label talks of cobblestones and swirls of mist from the Thames, as if Doctor Watson himself might order this at his local.

The dog-icon cap flips away to reveal a sweet but subdued bouquet of burnt sugar with a ping of vanilla. On the pour it's black and tumultuous in the glass, a broiling inky drink that sheds a light brown lacy head that swiftly fades to nought.

It's 6.5%abv, but the alcohol is well shielded in the sup. It's all dark chocolate and summer fruits through the length, a classic porter mix with a stylish welcoming mouthfeel. Coffee and vanilla peek through then round off with a gentle bittered finish that sports shades of dark cherry.

Brewdog strike the quality threshold yet again with this beer. Would recommend this without hesitation, although as with all of their offerings check the price before you run it through the till.

8/10 - Delicious, extremely drinkable porter with an edge of mystery. Holmes would approve.

- The Broadside

Island Oyster (Mersea Island)

And it's a quick Mersesa Island double here at the Bunker Station Two as we crack open their dark special beer, Island Oyster.

Solidly porter in colour, it's as dark as the inside of said gastropod's shell. The head is beige and foamy.

The aroma reinforces the porter credentials, heavily chocolatey with a whiff of dockside back-alley danger.

You get oats and some oysters in this pint, and the combined attack is remarkable. Neither can really be picked out as individual strains (in the case of oysters perhaps its as well), but fused with the dark sweet malts the effect is lushly tasteful. The sup continues through as a bounty of colliding porter notes, with Fuggles hops rearing mildly at the death of the taste.

This is really good BC beer, another gem from this Essex enterprise. The mouthfeel and consistency needs to be tried.

8/10 - Outstanding oyster porter from Essex, well worth trying to track down.

- The Broadside

Porter (Sierra Nevada)

Pours as close to black as you can get, only narrowest waves of light pass through. The aroma is shy and unassuming, hints of toffee and roasted malt, but no big coffee or hop aromas.

The initial taste is dominated by a big malt, roasted to the edge of stout, delivering bitterness without sharpness and gentle sweet undertones. A rather smooth middle leads to a finish that refuses to assert a dominant claim on the beer, mellow hop bittering mixed with the slightest of toffee sweetness.

5/10 A capable balanced porter, but lacks anything to distinguish it from even the most average rivals.

Winter Ale (St Peter's)

St Peter's , the Bungay brewery, gets a second review this week with their beguiling Winter Ale - perfect for an evening by the stove when outside resembles Tromso in the depths of the Norwegian winter night.

St Peter's claim this is a ruby ale on the label, although up against the light only the faintest trace of a murderous red frames the solid darkness.

Really, it's a highly charged porter to my eye, as the label warns of a weighty 6.3%abv.

The head is lacy and fluffy, and the solidness of the pint makes it look like it weighs a ton. The nose is all chocolate, peatiness and malty molasses, only mulled wine could smell more wintry.

The first taste is delightfully munchy coffee/toffee/dark fruit with edges of caramel. I got a pinch of cinnamon at the back, possibly a fleeting winter mirage. The carbonisation is soft and perfectly pitched.

If I were to give any drawback, its that perhaps the texture is a little thin for a winter comforter, perhaps a creamier pint might have seemed slightly more apt. This just keep keeps it off the 9 spot for me, although as gripes go it's pretty tiny. What the texture does though, is make it remarkably quaffable for a 6%+ drink.

Finely bittered out at the death of the taste, just enough to tip the balance back from the heavy initial flavours, it's a gorgeous pint. I'm not sure who is doing the quality checks at St Peter's, but I hope those tastebuds are insured. Easy drinking strong seasonal beer.

8/10 - St Peter's strikes gold again. Insulating hearty ale.

- The Broadside

Old-Style Porter (St Peter's)

St Peter's of Bungay have been well reviewed so far at the Bunker, their Ruby Red and Best Bitter both scoring fine 7s . Suffolk is blessed with many fine brewers but this classy traditional operation, which bottles in it's trademark oval green glass, is a margin of quality above most.

Porters have a high bar to hit at the Bunker, as we've had some absolute corkers of late. The Flying Dog and Wickwar porters both hit fine 8s, and the Harviestoun and Fullers efforts were just sublime at 9/10.

At the bottle-cap hiss a pleasing air of chocolate framed with slight coffee wafts up, proper porter smells. Against the light it's actually quite opaque, blood ruby light straining through the dark brown murk.

The head is slight, and never rises on the pour, quickly vanishing to a memory. The first sup is fairly thin, and compared to an 8.7% monster such as Flying Dog Gonzo, almost watery. However, I stress in comparison because second or third tastes reveal a subtle and quite delicious drink.

No slouch on the alcohol at 5.1%ABV, the first note is thoroughly porter chocolate laced with raisin. It's less roasty than other porters I've tried, but seems not to suffer for it. The body is medium, cosy, with toffee/chocolate and is a fine precursor to a lightly smoky extended finish, punctuated by gentle bittering.

Old-Style Porter starts drinkable and only gets more so as the glass goes down. Delicious session beer, will we discover a bad porter?

8/10 - Excellent light porter. An accomplished example of traditional dark ale.

- The Broadside

Old Growler (Nethergate)

It's certainly porter weather on the south coast. The balmy russet days of October are behind us now, and as The Broadside writes this the wind curls like a banshee around the trees outside Bunker Station Two.

Old Growler, randomly selected from many porters in the stocks, lurks in a no-nonsense bottle. A bulldog glares intently out, guarding the pitchy contents within. The beer proclaims itself a "supreme champion", although of what isn't so clear.

It pours black with a haze of ruby about the trim. Dark fruits, cherry and malts waft on the nose, and there is a slightly chalky background.

The carbonisation is prickly but not overdone. The beer is thin on the tongue, and laden with plenty of chocolate and old-school porter tastes. It conjures up pool-halls, in a pleasant way, although it's perhaps slightly too watery to claim to be a proper winter porter, almost (whisper it) lager like in constituency.

That said, the taste is flavoursome and easy. Toffee, earth and some adequate bitterness hallmarks the pint, but it's all blended in a fairly subtle manner and the focus is on approachable drinkability. The 5.5%abv carries the flavours adequately, and is pleasingly sturdy.

This is traditional stuff, and a credit to the Nethergate brewery. It goes down for me as a good pint, and certainly not one to avoid if on offer - don't be scared by the label.

6/10 - Pack your snooker cue and head out for an evening at the hall. This beer will keep you good company as you hustle. A subtle, tasty porter.

- The Broadside

Gonzo Imperial Porter (Flying Dog)

This is a powerful pocket porter, 8.7%abv. US brewers Flying Dog say it's a "turbo charged version of Road Dog Porter", which I assume is their standard offering.

It pours with a lively coffee coloured head, and the same coffee laced with liquorice wafts headily on the nose. Properly black, the brewery claims this uses a double porter recipe and will "bite you in the ass if you don't show it proper respect". As if to underline the point an expressionistic Hunter S. Thompson self portrait stares hollow-eyed from the label.

The malts used are black, crystal and chocolate. First taste is a detonation of flavour with sweet malt, chocolate and coffee atomising on the tongue. It's heady and smoky, and in truth nearly a little too much.

The sweetness is more than offset by a big ass-kick of piney hops that leaves a long, ranging bitter aftertaste. I think this beer would best be served with a rich chocolate dessert at the sort of meal that ex-colonial colonels with impending gout might enjoy.

Further sips reveal a dusting of pepper and I'm finding appreciation acquires as the drink goes down. Its heady, rich and absolutely committed to it's aim, the antithesis of a dull beer.

I don't know much about Flying Dog, but I bet the Brewdog boys enjoy this. It's a complex, tumultuous beer, and a transatlantic bedfellow to their radical offerings.

8/10 - Overwhelming and virile, an impressive cauldron of flavours.

- The Broadside

Station Porter (Wickwar) - 6.1%abv

I've been looking forward to this one for a while. Station Porter is a highly commended beer, named CAMRA's Champion Winter Beer of Britain in their 2008 awards.

It's a typical porter in the pour, pitchy and deeply dark, with a slight ruby glint behind direct light. The head is a pale brown but lasts as long as a sneeze. The nose is mocha and chocolate with slightly burnt roast notes, although cosy and more alluring than I've made that sound.

First taste is thin, but very flavoursome. Sweet malts waltz with the porteresque chocolate, and it's a taste to endear the Broadside to this chilly October night. It's 6.1% but feels lighter, and the dryness associated with some porters isn't present here, it's quenching. Mid-taste is fruity, in a plum and sultana style rather than citrus, before the tail trails off with hints of blackberries.

Properly delicious, it's just a smidge too sweet for me to put it at parity with Fuller's London Porter, but this is still an accomplished and excellent example of this famous old ale type.

A very solid 8/10 - an excellent porter, and if seen to be popped in the basket for the approaching chill months.

- The Broadside

London Porter (Fuller’s) 5.4% abv

A dark porter with glimpses of amber at the edges. Invigorating smells of dark chocolate and fresh espresso powder. Beautiful big bubbles sit in a creamy cappuccino foam.

Initial sweetness, hints of toffee is followed by a biscuity middle, that famous Fuller’s yeasty crunch is there. The finish is one of rich dark chocolate, like bitter cocoa, in turn followed by coffee notes, and some noticeable but gentle hop bittering.

9/10 The benchmark of porters, a superb example of full complex flavours in perfect balance.

A huge thanks to Fullers for sending this one through. The Fuller's online shop is now open, with full online beer sales coming soon. Until then check out your local Waitrose or Occado who stock the full range.

Old Engine Oil (Harviestoun)

This one is delicious.

The label promises "viscous, roasty and chocolatey", in fact this is the only thing I've ever heard described as roasty but it does fit.

It's consistency is perhaps just shy of a true stout, more porter but it matters little. The pour is eager and creates a pleasant latte coloured head which lingers a short while. The nose is a touch of coffee and full roast notes.

The taste is initially sweet with a rub of cherry and the feel is velvet-creamy, tending to bitterness in the mouth. Slight carbonisation only helps matters, and for the taste is just right. This is the third porter Goldilocks will have tried.

The mid section is a waft of chocolate surfboarding on a riptide of malt - but whilst bold and assertive it is not overpoweringly so. Part of the pleasure of this beer for me is the well-heeled subtlety of the mix, and there's nothing here to make the drinker make their gnarly face.

It finishes with a rising quip of hops, but just for the sake of bittering and is a delicious keepsake of the sup. I love it.

9/10 - Best in it's class for me, this slim bottled thick black ale is a treasure - full credit to Harviestoun.

- The Broadside