Smoked Porter - Stone Brewing Co.

jampics2

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap @ the Winking Lizard. Served in a pint glass.

The beer looks nice in the glass. It's a predominantly black color with some red around the edges and brown swirls mixed in for good measure. A small head is all it has to offer, and that subsides to a ring rather quickly. The lace is spotty and probably the retention is the only flaw of an otherwise very attractive beer.

The smell is interesting in that it's really not as brash as one would expect. There's a nice roasted malt quality giving chocolate and coffee impressions. The smoke is less pronounced than in other smoked porters I've had, but it's well integrated. I'd like a bit more expression in the smell overall. This is good but I fear it could be better with more expression. A slight hop kick rounds out a good, but not great nose.

The taste is pretty much what I expected after the nose. The chocolate and roasted malt components make this sexy and the smoke really comes on in a subtle fashion. Over the course of the glass, it becomes less pronounced. Some sweet caramel malt emerges as the glass warms, and a slight hoppy tinge gives the sweetness a bitter balance. There's some lingering roast in the aftertaste. When this beer first came out, it was hands-down an ass-kicker, but compared to today's extreme beers it's more of an accessible offering for the adventurous beer drinker.

The mouthfeel is defined by decent carbonation and a medium body. For a porter, this is nice but just a touch on the light side. The drinkability is excellent, mostly due to the fact it's not terribly extreme in the taste department. Let's call that the smoked porter catch 22. I can't imagine one being a 5 in taste and in drinkability. A worthy beer for those who are worthy.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2010 23:23:49 | More by jampics2

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