Winner

Of the seven beers I bought to sample yesterday, the bomber of Allagash Black really stands out. I saved this one for tonight, as the first six were enough to have me feeling pretty good.
The beer pours nicely with a strong fluffy head, and leaves an attractive lacing as it creeps down the glass. The taste of Belgian style yeast is prominent, as is the strong malt backbone. It reminds me of the type of flavors I'm looking for in my robust porter.
It looks like I will have to try a Trappist or Abbey yeast in my finished beer once I dial in the base recipe. It also seems as if I would want to add some sweetness to my porter if it's not present. It will be a challenge to add the right malts and stay within the style guidelines since I am already against the ceiling for alcohol content.