Another weekly shop at Lidl, of course, means another own-brand beer bought and ready for review! At some point during my beer reviewing hiatus, Lidl went ahead and rebranded their Hatherwood Craft Beer range. They all had a distinct name and a number associated with it. Today’s beer is simply the Porter but you may remember the shelves being graced by a beer called Purple Panther. The difference isn’t only in the design of the beer but also the ABV. The original came in at 5% while this is 4.5% ABV. I unfortunately never got around to trying Purple Panther, so while I won’t be able to direct comparison, I will give my thoughts on the current edition of this own-brand porter.

The beer pours a deep oil, black colour with a tan brown head. The head actually held very well as I drank the beer, taking a while to dissipate. The aroma is quite sweet, with an almost caramel like quality to it. The flavour matches this, with a sweetness running throughout the beer leading to a touch of coffee bitterness on the finish. The body is certainly on the thinner side and I personally didn’t get any of the expected smokey qualities.

A quick note on the bottle art: In an homage to the previous design (which I have placed below for comparison) the label does feature a leaping panther. However, I think that the old design has bags more character. This current version feels more sanitised and streamlined. A shame as even an own brand beer deserves to have interesting artwork.

Now it is easy to criticise these own-brand beers, whether that’s due to the perception of them in comparison to ‘proper craft beer’ or the price they are sold at. I have had some supermarket beers that have really impressed me but unfortunately this isn’t one of them. This beer, brewed by Jennings Brewery (a Marston’s subsidiary), on behalf of Lidl, isn’t necessarily bad I just don’t think the contents of the bottle match the style being sold. A porter typically has these smokier qualities to it that come through in the flavour, and the back of the bottle readily agrees with that too. However, I find that this beer is overly sweet. There are meant to be notes of toffee but the sweetness being imparted is overpoweringly artificial rather than a subtle compliment to the body of the beer. And while I can’t compare to the previous edition, I do wonder if the drop in ABV has led to a thinner body as well. Certainly not undrinkable and at £1.39 a 500ml bottle I shouldn’t complain too much but I probably wouldn’t buy it again if I was looking for a porter.

Score: 4.5/10

I personally wasn’t a fan but an opinion is just one person thoughts. I would love to hear if any of you completely disagree with me and are regular fans of this Lidl Porter. I am always open to having my mind changed!!!

Additional Information:

Style: Porter

Hops: Not Available

Malt: Not Available

IBU: Not Available

ABV: 4.5%

Gluten Free: No

Vegan: N/A

Location: Lidl

Price: £1.39