The Bruery's Workman's Friend Imperial Porter

I remembered after reading The Drunken Polack's tale of an epic tasting of big The Bruery beers that I had a big Bruery beer review I needed to post.  Last winter, I had a bottle of The Burey's Workman's Friend Imperial Porter and took plenty of notes, but just did not get to posting it until now.  I had never had an imperial porter before Workman's Friend.  I am not sure of the nuances between and imperial porter and an imperial stout (or a Baltic porter), but am guessing that the imperial porter is a bit lighter on the palate. 

Workman, which is part of The Bruery's Provision Series, poured dark and thick.  I had to break some beer pouring rules to get some meager foam - glass flat on  the counter and a fast upright pour.  I immediately smelled the roasted malts, and I also picked up anise.  The taste is all sweetness and roasted malts, with a minimal hop profile.   The sweetness, present throughout, never became cloying.  Don't be daunted by the 'imperial" moniker as Workman's ABV is about 8%, which is sizable, but not in the class of imperial stouts.   Its mouthful was somewhat light for a beer that poured so thick.  Workman's Friend is a drinkable and surprisingly approachable beer. As I drank the beer it made me wonder about the origins of the porter style, as it used to be the beer of English workers, hence (I am guessing) the Workman's Friend label.  While Workman's Friend wasn't a "huge" beer and was drinkable, I know I could not drink it regularly after a hard day's labor.