So here is a good porter from our friends in Montana, although one could argue Bobo's is not necessarily robust. But more about that in a bit.
The beer pours a deep dark brown color with a slightly tan head. There's a bit of lacing and retention going on, though all fairly average.
The nose is pungent. You can pick up on a slightly coffee-y nuttiness right off the bat with a tickle of sweetness flanking it. It's a nice smell, one indicating a beer you'd want to hang out with, just to chill out.
The flavor lives up to the nose's promise, and Bobo's is a kicking flavorful beer. The roasty flavor of coffee dominates -- think last year's Cowboy Coffee, but better -- closely followed by notes of semi-sweet chocolate. A smoky aftertaste rounds it out. Flavorwise I found this to be quite refreshing as far as a porter goes.
Which brings us to the "robust" part. The flavor could probably be called robust, but Bobo's one real issue is a strangely thin mouthfeel. For a limited edition porter I had expected something heavier, something... robust... but that promise was sadly not delivered on.
That aside, we found Bobo's to be a winner. Run out and pick one up if you're in the mood for a refreshing porter.