Beer In Review: Porter Party
We finally got a measurable snow fall! After several attempts with flurries, typically dustings, sometimes 1/4 to 1/2 inch, we actually got about 2 1/2 to 3 inches. No, it's not much, but I'll take it.
The folks at the Boston Beer Company held a contest last year to let their fans choose which flavor to bring out of retirement. The Samuel Adams Honey Porter (5.45% ABV) was the winner. I looked forward to this one. Here's the description from the website:
Sounds impressive, doesn't it? It did to me, but when I drank it, I wasn't impressed. It had more of a clove aroma to me and the mouthfeel was more like a lager than a porter. Don't get me wrong, this is still a well crafted beer but it wasn't what I was hoping for. As for the Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops, well I homebrew with the former all the time and I just used the Fuggles in Batch 15. I don't find Kent Goldings to be "spicy" at all, but the quantity I use them is probably alot lower than what Boston Beer does. And I haven't started dry hopping yet and I understand that alters the flavor quite a bit.
The other beer in this entry is the Road Dog Scottish Porter from the Flying Dog Brewery. Shortly after it's launch in 1995, the brewery was told to remove the beer from store shelves by the Colorado Liquor Board due to its slogan, "Good Beer, No Shit." Ralph Steadman came up with it. Thanks to help from the ACLU, they were able to keep the slogan on the label. Unlike Ridgeway Brewing, this is not a case where the marketing hype overshadows the beer itself.
On the pour a nice head develops on top of a solid dark beer. Although there's Black Malt and 120 Loviband Crystal Malt in here, a bright light will reveal a deep rich red color. There's also Chocolate Malt in here which you can definitely pick up, but there's a little something extra. The website says that it's (black) licorice I'm tasting and that seems right. I think that there's some of that in their Imperial Porter too. I couldn't place the mystery flavor before but that seems to be the case.
Yes, there's hops in there, but like most porters, they play second fiddle to the malt. The Flying Dog brewers inform us that they use Yakima Golding, which I think is a North American offshoot of Kent Golding but I don't know for sure, and Cascade hops, which I know for certain is an offshoot of the English Fuggles. The Cascade variety is mild hop, good for mellow bitterness in your beer. It can imbue your beer with a citrus aroma.
This is a yummy beer that has a unique taste to it. I don't know if the fact that these guys are calling it a "scottish porter" means that it's their contribution to a new class of porter because it's definitely not a brown, though it could qualify as a robust porter. It's good either way. It clocks in at 5.5% ABV.
So if I had to rank all of the porters that I've reviewed in this blog, I think that it would go like this:
As I mentioned on my home page, I'm going to attend the local writer's workshop again. I've got short stories to work on, and since the class starts Monday, I'm going to need all the time I can get to make the most of the class. By my posting frequency of late, you can probably tell that it's already started, but it's likely to become worse. Don't be surprised if you don't see much happening here for a while.
Until then, have a beer.
\_/
DED
The folks at the Boston Beer Company held a contest last year to let their fans choose which flavor to bring out of retirement. The Samuel Adams Honey Porter (5.45% ABV) was the winner. I looked forward to this one. Here's the description from the website:
Samuel Adams® Honey Porter is a full-flavored, full-bodied English porter with a substantial roasted malt character, offering a smooth, rounded finish. This beer is brewed with traditional English Ale hops and is dry-hopped with East Kent Goldings, known for their spicy aroma and distinctive, earthy flavor. We brew Honey Porter with Scottish heather honey which balances the spiciness of the hops.
Samuel Adams® Honey Porter is brewed with a complex blend of five varieties of malt including pale two-row Metcalfe and Harrington, Munich, Caramel and Weyermann Carafa®. This unique blend of malts imparts a full body and full flavor with substantial roasted character. The sweetness in the malt is complimented and enhanced by the unique sweetness and floral notes of the Scottish heather honey. We balanced all of that malt and honey with traditional UK hops: Fuggles and East Kent Goldings.
Sounds impressive, doesn't it? It did to me, but when I drank it, I wasn't impressed. It had more of a clove aroma to me and the mouthfeel was more like a lager than a porter. Don't get me wrong, this is still a well crafted beer but it wasn't what I was hoping for. As for the Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops, well I homebrew with the former all the time and I just used the Fuggles in Batch 15. I don't find Kent Goldings to be "spicy" at all, but the quantity I use them is probably alot lower than what Boston Beer does. And I haven't started dry hopping yet and I understand that alters the flavor quite a bit.
The other beer in this entry is the Road Dog Scottish Porter from the Flying Dog Brewery. Shortly after it's launch in 1995, the brewery was told to remove the beer from store shelves by the Colorado Liquor Board due to its slogan, "Good Beer, No Shit." Ralph Steadman came up with it. Thanks to help from the ACLU, they were able to keep the slogan on the label. Unlike Ridgeway Brewing, this is not a case where the marketing hype overshadows the beer itself.On the pour a nice head develops on top of a solid dark beer. Although there's Black Malt and 120 Loviband Crystal Malt in here, a bright light will reveal a deep rich red color. There's also Chocolate Malt in here which you can definitely pick up, but there's a little something extra. The website says that it's (black) licorice I'm tasting and that seems right. I think that there's some of that in their Imperial Porter too. I couldn't place the mystery flavor before but that seems to be the case.
Yes, there's hops in there, but like most porters, they play second fiddle to the malt. The Flying Dog brewers inform us that they use Yakima Golding, which I think is a North American offshoot of Kent Golding but I don't know for sure, and Cascade hops, which I know for certain is an offshoot of the English Fuggles. The Cascade variety is mild hop, good for mellow bitterness in your beer. It can imbue your beer with a citrus aroma.
This is a yummy beer that has a unique taste to it. I don't know if the fact that these guys are calling it a "scottish porter" means that it's their contribution to a new class of porter because it's definitely not a brown, though it could qualify as a robust porter. It's good either way. It clocks in at 5.5% ABV.
So if I had to rank all of the porters that I've reviewed in this blog, I think that it would go like this:
- Anchor Porter
- Stovepipe Porter
- Coal Porter
- Road Dog Scottish Porter
- Gonzo Imperial Porter
- Santa's Butt Porter
- Saranac's Caramel Porter
- Samuel Adams Honey Porter
As I mentioned on my home page, I'm going to attend the local writer's workshop again. I've got short stories to work on, and since the class starts Monday, I'm going to need all the time I can get to make the most of the class. By my posting frequency of late, you can probably tell that it's already started, but it's likely to become worse. Don't be surprised if you don't see much happening here for a while.
Until then, have a beer.
\_/
DED
Labels: beer
posted by DED at 3:47 PM
2 Comments:
I remember trying the Honey Porter years ago when it ws in mass release.
I wasn't terribly impressed then.
Then you won't be impressed with it this time around either. There are plenty of far better porters out there.
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