Sierra Nevada Porter - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Easy drinking milder tasting well malted porter. Initial white head that dissipitates on top of coal black. Bit of molasses and roasted barley aroma. Tad of coffee and chocolate, tilted toward sweetness. Nicely and smartly carbonated. Quite the session ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2007 02:30:42 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark brown with ruby highlights. I can't quite see all the way through the beer, even with backlighting. The cap is ecru in color and looks sticky and faintly rocky over time. It fades to a thin, covering film and leaves broken rings and small sheets of lace on the glass.

Hops are the first thing that I notice in the nose. Not because they're overpowering, but because I didn't expect them to be present in a porter. The usual aromas of roasted malt and coffee are definitely present, but the hops have their say.

This beer has an interesting two-phase palate profile. Initially, the malty flavors of coffee and chocolate dominate. As they fade, the softly citric hops fade in and gently take over. Hops dominate the finish as well, but are fairly understated. The mouthfeel is medium for the style, though I find myself wishing that it was a little more substantial. Just personal preference.

Sierra Nevada Porter is a solid drinker with an interesting and delicious flavor profile. I'm glad that it's so readily available because I could easily make it my regular porter.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2004 00:51:40 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I cannot believe I had never had this one before this eveing. I picked it up on a whim, served it chilled in ap int glass and enjoyed with dinner tonight. Consumed on 01/07/2009.

The pour was very nice with a rich dark brown color. SMooth mellow looking with a nice rich head of light tan and a delicate side glass lacing that really made it look quite nice.

The aroma was a nice mix of sweet, molasses like malts and a light roasted profile. Nice balance here with a hint of hop bitterness as it came around. The flavor was more of the same. Rich roasted malts, sweet chocolate like flavors and a nice little touch of hops in the finish. Mellow, medium bodied ale with nice carbonation and a smooth, and very drinkable taste.

Overall it was very solid and for an everyday, and very available porter, this is really exceptional. I was very impressed, and I am lookign forward to having this one again,

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2009 03:27:58 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another one of those beers that I just have never gotten around to reviewing.

A: The pour is absolutely great. A dark, dark brown with a finger's worth of off-white colored foam. The head on this beer is amazing, and leaves some awesome lacing.

S: The smell of this one is a bit different than what you'd expect from a porter. The nose is full of citrus hops followed by a background aroma of roasted malt and coffee.

T: The hops are not quite as pronounced here. There is still a nice little citrus flavor, but the roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate are the big players here (more what I think of when I have a porter).

M: The body is maybe a bit thin, but still good. There is a nice level of carbonation to liven things up on the palate.

D: Another great beer from Sierra Nevada. These guys make some of the best session/most drinkable beers out there. You can never go wrong with a Sierra product.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 09:08:39 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to my dad for picking this up at International Beverage Selections in Grand Rapids. Served in a Hill Farmstead Wine Glass.

Pours dark brown with very little head or lacing and a good swirl doesn't bring anything up. The nose is very mild chocolate and roast plus some residual sweetness. The taste is quite bland. THere is some mild chocolate up front followed by light sweetness and a bit of roast. Body is medium with a fairly-full finish. Not quite enough carbonation, however. A bit disappointing, but this finishes up the "Top Beers - Beers of Fame" for me. Would like to try every beer on the site with at least 1000 reviews.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 11:04:32 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dated 12/7/11. I would assume this is a best by date.

Pours an almost opaque dark brown with a 1 inch puffy khaki head that fades to a film on the top of the beer. A thick curtain of foam coats the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, caramel, and toffee. Taste is of dark roasted malt and some toffee flavors. A mild roasty bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and bubbly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty solid porter that is easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 07:04:30 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a brown/black color with a tan head that leaves spotty lacing around the glass

Smell: A nice blend of cocoa and fruity hoppiness

Taste: Strong coffee/mocha flavor on the front end with some fruity hop bitterness that kicks in very quickly; after the swallow, there is a smoky and slightly sour flavor that joins to add complexity; charcoal aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Rather light for a porter; more like a hoppy brown ale

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2005 01:00:19 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.03/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark brown, near black body with a tall, frothy, off-white head.

Smell: Somewhat roasty nose smelling of coffee grinds and notes of unsweetened chocolate earthy hops.

Taste: Predominately roasty and bitter, the beer yields some light hints of pale malts, chocolate malts, and caramel. Almost nil sweetness which quickly fades away, leaving the roast, earthy bitterness to take us to the dry, roasty finish.

Mouthfeel: Just barely medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Just a tad thin, a tad simple, and just not what I'm really looking for in a porter. On to their stout!

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2009 03:00:43 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a medium black color porter with a medium size off-white head with pretty good retention. Aroma of roasted malt with a nice touch of coffee and chocolate. Taste is a well balance mix between roasted chocolate and coffee malt with some medium bitterness at the end. Another good well balance product from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2006 18:13:50 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It's about as true-to-style as you get. It's got all of the robust roasted grains, sweet barley malt base to offset the roasted coffee bitterness. Added cocoa for flavor and hops for balance. Light fermentation sourness and a mild lactose flavor for complexity. Despite the boldness, the balance and body lightens the impact and mellows out nicely. Though no dominating characters to mention, it's unfortunate that this beer is hardlly mentioned among the conversation of great Porter. It's deserving.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2006 04:06:20 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice deep brown with some red highlights witha nice creamy tan head.The aroma was chocolaty and a little nuttyThis porter has definant hoppiness in the finish thats for sure,but it has the roasted nutty malt character to begin with.A pretty good balanced porter,maybe one of the hoppiest I have had and I really liked it..

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2003 06:03:05 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Very dark brown in color- opaque - with a thin, creamy tan head that holds quite well and leaves some very nice lace.The aroma is of a toasted cereal and lightly caramel malt that's ever so lightly backed by earthy and floral hops. The body is medium with a very fine and gentle carbonation that gives it an impressive smoothness in the mouth. The flavor starts lightly sharp with some roasted notes, followed by some bittersweet chocolate and grainy sweetness as it crosses the palate. It finishes with a lingering, acridic/burnt roasted note and some minimal earthy hop flavor that becomes somewhat astringent. Solidly bitter, but still well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2002 20:42:49 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Sierra Nevada shaker pint glass.

And, thanks to the greatness of ChurchKey, I got to take the glass home with me. Yay! Anyway... This guy pours a translucent amber brown with about a finger and a half of ecru froth on top. Imagine a very dark (...and headless...) mad dog. ...Something like that. The nose is composed of roasted, toasted malts, caramel, puffed rice, and a tiny bit o' funk. Bootsy would be proud, but only a li'l bit. Oh well. The roasted malt aspects come through on the tongue as well, along with some walnut, toffee, and a very slight stripe of floral bitterness. It all makes for some very tasty porter-y goodness. With a medium body and very low carbonation, everything goes down all silky smooth. Mmm-hmm. And, with the free glass, things seem even better. I reiterate: Yay! Get some!

Serving type: cask

06-07-2010 08:08:38 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is clear yet very dark amber in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige head that died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of roasted malts in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of roasted malts and some hints of toffee and burnt malts. There are some hints of bitterness in the finish.
M: It feels on the light side of medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer goes down very easily and is quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 00:53:08 | More by metter98

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: deep. dark color, with a tall, frothy, cream-colored head, slowly trickling down, and leaving lace.
Aroma: sharply punctuated with nuts and fruit right off, with further investigations giving off coffeeish, slightly roasty connotations. Bitter, but soft.
Taste is smooth, even velvety, but replete with espresso, cocoa, and the like. Just enough, but not nearly too much. Problem for me is, I like too much!
Medium-bodied, a bit lacking in texture, nice little sweet, toasty finish, and very easy to drink.
SN has crafted an extraordinarily easy-to-drink porter, and if I ever found myself in a situation where this was the best option for a dark ale, I'd be satisfied.
Fruit factor (grapes, primarily...a very winish ale this is!) comes in more in the middle, toward the end. A solid porter. No frills, but no bones about it, they made a nice one.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2003 06:00:10 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a deep dark brown color with a thick frothy tan head that is slow to recede. The aroma is good. It has a roasted malt scent that boasts of dark crystal and chocolate malts. There is also a bit of hops in there as well. The taste is great. It has an incredibly smooth, malty flavor that boasts of cystal and chocolate malts. It goes down quick and easy with a creamy chocolate finish. The mouthfeel is awesome. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a very easy drinking porter. It's not the best I've had, but it ranks up there in drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2004 23:41:10 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer is brown to black with a thin tan head, small bubbles, some lacing low carbonation.

Aroma is roasty like weak coffee and a little sweet.

Beer is medium in body and overall nice. It is an interesting and pleasantly sweet beer with a mild roast at the end. Overall easy drinking and a fine beer. I'd have it again and I have had it on several occasions.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 04:36:25 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark brown color with an off-white head. The aroma is roasted malt with some chocolate and raisins. I also get a little bit of coffee. The flavor is more of the same, with the chocolate and roasted malt dominating. I also get a little bit of dark fruit and raisins. Medium to thick, creamy mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice American Porter.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2010 06:36:37 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle pours out a coffee, black color. No head to speak of. It left minimal lacing. It smelled very malty. You could taste the malt as well as a hint of coffee and chocolate. The beer was crisp but a little too heavy to consume many in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2006 03:48:03 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.63/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a dark brown color, with a medium-sized, foamy off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of coffee, roasted dark malts and chocolate with a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste is smoky and malty with flavors of roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate and a touch of dark fruit. There’s a decent background of hops for the style that provides some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, this beer is exactly what you would expect for a porter, but there isn’t anything about it to me that makes it stand out amongst the others. Overall, however, it’s a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2007 23:31:17 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Tasted a lot like any other Porter I've had in the past. At least this is a slightly different change of pace for Sierra Nevada. This brew shows that there is more to SN than just Pale Ales and IPA's. This beer pour a rich dark brown with a foamy light brown head. The roasted malts are nicely balanced in this with the hops used in the brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 04:03:07 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.68/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Reviewing this beer was like running into an old flame and finding her better looking, single and still interested! Bought a sixer on a whim and was rerewarded

Poured Mahagony brown to purplelish, heading to inky blackness. Chunky tan/brown head retained impressive head and lacing all the way down the glass. Nice gas beads bubble to the surface right up to the last swallow

Taste: roasted grains, choclate, and hop bitterness on the tounge and throat. Licorice and slight nutiness assert themselves

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth with great balance, carboantion levels perfect

I liked this as much as any beer I've had in the last few months.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2005 03:14:25 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours with a light brown head. The beer itself is a deep brown / black color, when held up to the light it is clear with brown notes to it. Smells of roast malt and coffee, definitely very malty-roast aromas as well. Tastes of smooth roast malt mixed with solid Willamette hop flavor that finishes the beer off. The hop flavor has always impressed me with this beer. There is a bit of coffee in the taste as well.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2003 16:47:02 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

3.4/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle,

A: Dark brown/black with a thick white-tan head, though nothing particularly oustanding.

S: Chocolate notes, some coffee, a bit of vanilla, and some cherry cordial.

T: Chocolate malts predominately, charcoal, some piney American hops, probably Cascade.

M: Smooth, a bit oily, resiny.

D: A good beer, not a standout though, their Pale Ale is better, but a drinkable selection.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2007 03:35:18 | More by Halcyondays

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a clear dark mahogany hue, with red edges, and two fingers of foamy light beige head, which renders pretty consistent webbed lace around the chalice. It smells of very mild roasted malt, and earthy, weedy hops. The taste is lightly roasted, nutty malt, mild citrus, and earthy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body medium-light, and it finishes clean, getting drier all the while.

An adequate porter, the initial hint of hops pretty much fizzles, leaving a straightforward rendition of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 22:25:50 | More by biboergosum