Beer In Review: Compare and Contrast

Winter finally showed up this week. The temperature dropped to seasonal averages and a few flurries actually managed to coat the ground. Not much, but it's a start. The cold air invigorates me as it enters my lungs. My stomach then demands something equally invigorating, so I satisfy it with some porter.

Now not all porters are the same. You've got two types of porters: brown and robust. Robust porters are closer in kinship to stouts than their brown porter brothers. They're very dark to the point of being opaque and hoppier than brown porters. Brown porters, while still dark, are more inclined to reveal some light through their bodies. The hops are downplayed. Brown porters are also lighter in body than their robust brethren. The alcohol content in brown porter tends to run between 4 and 6 percent while robust porter range from 5 to 7 percent.

So for this entry, I've picked two beers that are the quintessential picks of their category. The first one is Atlantic Brewing Company's Coal Porter. It's a brown porter. On the pour you'll get a good, stable head with a dark body. There's no shame in this "only" being a brown porter. While not black as coal, it takes a strong light to reveal the rich brown color. The chocolate and black malts being the culprits here. People who fear the dark, will still shudder at a pint glass of Coal Porter. Real beer drinkers will smile.

As the pint glass is raised to your lips, the chocolate and crystal malts will announce their presence to your nose. And your tongue will confirm this as chocolate and caramel flavors wash over it. Hops are mild. There's just enough of the Target and Williamette hops herein, though hop heads will undoubtedly demand more. This is a great beer that you can drink all winter. 5.8% ABV.

Representing the robust porters is Anchor Steam's Anchor Porter. On the pour a rich, stable head forms. The glass goes black as night. Only later on as the pint glass is drawn down does one see a rich ruby hue. Even the aforementioned head turns to a dark cream. Yes the chocolate and black malts are here. There was another aroma rising from the glass that I couldn't identify, though it was sweet. I checked the website and finally put a word to it: toffee. "Yes, that's it," I thought. My less than sophisticated culinary vocabulary was unable to label it without help, but toffee is definitely what it is.

No, I can't identify the hops and Anchor Steam is keeping their recipe a secret. Malts are easier to identify that hops, at least to this homebrewer. Anyway, the hops are definitely there. They make their claim on your tongue without overpowering it. So the whole blend of malt and hops, though clearly pronounced, are well balanced to give you a great robust porter. Yet another great beer that you can drink all winter long. 5.6% ABV.

My only complaint about these two beers would be the price. Each of these retails for $9/six pack here in CT. That's steep. I can brew a porter for half that price. In fact, I'm doing that right now. I still have to update my homebrew page with the particulars of my latest batch. But I'm not trying to say that the high price is all greed. While Atlantic Brewing Company (Bar Harbor, Maine) and Anchor Steam (San Francisco) will undoubtedly get their ingredients wholesale, there's shipping costs to add in, plus utilities, labor, taxes, and so on. Not to mention state regulated pricing, which I don't get since interstate trade is supposed to be regulated by the fed. Anyway, if you've ever thought of brewing your own beer, do it. After you're initial investment in the equipment, you only have to worry about your ingredients.

Ok, I'm rambling. Class dismissed. Go have a beer.

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