Founders Brewing Company - Founders Porter

Traditionally, victorian women have been relegated to the works of classical authors: Dickens, Austen, and the Brontë Sisters. However, Founders Brewing Company  has paid homage to these women with a portrait of a mysterious-victorian woman gracing the label for their porter.
As I poured this american-influenced porter, I noticed that it was much thinner than I anticipated. Its pitch-black color conjured up images of the darkest of nights. With all that I had heard about this porter, I was expecting a much fuller head, but the head was very thin and quickly receded leaving red-hued lacings along the glass.
The aroma is full of roasted malts. These roasted malts waft the smell of inviting coffee and/or espresso grinds. After allowing the beer to warm, caramel and dark chocolate notes began to enter into the aroma. Surprisingly, the hop presence in the aroma is almost non-existent.
The taste is very distinctive and can be broken down into two separate parts. The first part is full of delicious burnt or roasted coffee. The second part of the taste (back-end) is a coating of hops that are pleasant and well balanced with the tastefulness of the coffee.
The carbonation in this porter was very nice leading to light creaminess. The body was thin, but as the beer warmed, the carbonation weakened allowing the body to become fuller. At 6.5% ABV and composed with 45 IBUs, Founders Porter is an excellent interpretation of a hoppy porter.