Porter - St. George Brewing Company, The

bkilpatr

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. 07/22/08.

Pours a very dark brown with hints of ruby around the edges. Two fingers of tan head slowly fade to a thin layer, leaving some nice lacing behind. Aroma is mostly milk chocolate and roasted malt, with just a hint of cherry.

Taste starts with sweet milk chocolate and malt flavor, then finishes with bitter dark chocolate and a bit of roasted coffee. Just the right balance of bitter and sweet. Very nice flavor, very nice.

Feel is also quite nice. Nice full body, just the right amount of carbonation. Not thin and bubbly like some porters tend to be. It's also super-drinkable. The taste is great, and it's so smooth going down.

This is easily my favorite St. George brew, and one of my favorite porters. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2008 02:40:47 | More by bkilpatr

largadeer

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Mocha colored, largely opaque with some clearish amber highlights. A nice frothy head forms and retains for the first half of the glass, leaving a nice bit of lace as it falls.

Smell: Roasted malt, cream, chocolate, a bit on the sweet side for a porter.

Taste/mouthfeel: More sweet and chocolatey than bitter, though a bit signature roasted malt flavor is present. Some nice milky flavors in the middle, followed by a bit of nougat. Light/medium in body. Moderate dryness in the finish with just a hint of bittering hops.

Notes: Really nice stuff, quite mild and sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2008 00:45:13 | More by largadeer

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.83/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle courtesy of Dyan, thanks! I have never even heard of this brewery but I was impressed by this beer. Dark brown-black color with a nice coffee-latte colored head. The smell was my favorite part, roasted chocolate malted. The flavor deviates slightly from the aroma but is still in solid porter territory. Easy to drink, try it if you get a chance.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2008 23:24:14 | More by ArrogantB

Proteus93

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Almost black, with just the littlest bit of light breaking through the brew. About a finger tall head, light brown, pretty sticky.

S: Nice, roasted malt, some deep coffee aromas, light coffee.

T + M + D: Roast malts, a nice and modest coffee + chocolate profile. A dash of hops for balance, just right for the style. This is a particularly clean and smooth porter: refreshing, flavourful, clean, and smooth. This was very nice during a tasting, and even better from a full bottle to get the total experience. Quite nice, and a recommended try.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 01:39:20 | More by Proteus93

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

St. George- Porter

A- Dark deep reddish black with a small but tight foamy head. Moderate lacing down the glass.
S- Faint baking chocolate with toffee malt.
T- Creamy chocolate with sweet toffee malt. A light roasted coffee bean flavor comes through near the end.
M- Very creamy and light. Turns sweet in the end.

Overall- Very good without being to cloying or rich. Brought a 6er back from VB and happy I did so!

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 20:03:11 | More by NJpadreFan

codyw

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Very dark mahogany, approaching stout darkness. Nice two finger head.

S: Smells strongly of chocolate, at times almost like chocolate syrup. Also hints of coffee.

T: Very strong presence of chocolate. If I could imagine a "chocolate beer", this would be it. Almost too much chocolate at times. I feel like it could have used a little more hopping to balance out the taste. At times it felt like they put chocolate syrup in the brew. If you like smooth chocolate, then this is it.

M: Very lush and velvety. Very smooth with little dryness. Very nice.

D: Very nice porter, with definite chocolate character. A good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2008 16:34:29 | More by codyw

argock

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz brown bottle into a clear pint glass. No freshness date.

A: Very dark brown with fat tan head with a lot of lace retention.

S: Hot chocolate, coffee, toasted/burned malt, and a touch of dark fruit.

T: Delicious chocolate dominates the palate but there is plenty of coffee/espresso, slight burned sugar, and earthy hops bitterness.

M: Silky smooth with no astringent, acrid feel and long, soft chocolate aftertaste.

D: A wonderful porter, especially if you like them on the sweeter side. Low ABV makes this a great session beer for porter lovers.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2008 05:32:01 | More by argock

AleDrinkToThat

Tennessee

4.43/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: DEEP mahogany, near black hue under a 1-2 finger tan head, which dissipated not too rapidly, and laced a little down the sides.

Smell: Roasted chocolate, coffee malts, with a slight sweetness which, I think, was a hint of raisin.

Taste: Again, roasted chocolate & coffee hit immediately, without much hops bitterness, and leveled out in a buttery, tangy sweet harmony of creamy coffee and raisin. The alcohol barely makes a showing.

Mouthfeel: VERY smooth. Luxuriously so. The rich flavor mutes the bitterness and acidity, without being particularly heavy. It's still on the light side in body.

Drinkability: Easily drinkable, and a great intro to the porter style for anyone who's uninitiated. You can sip on this one all evening, and it's still a worthy porter even after you've had some of the finer examples of the style.

As a bonus...it's great for grilling burgers as well. Whenever I've been able to get a hold of this, I saturate about 2 lbs of ground beef in 9 oz. or so of it, with a little bit of worcetershire and some garlic. It's bliss.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2008 14:44:09 | More by AleDrinkToThat

Riverwarrior

Texas

4.05/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This was my first offering from the St. George Brewing Company...and it will not be my last.

This porter had a very nice chocolate malt smell that came through nicely in the taste. It had nice carbonation and there was some hop bitterness in the finish that balanced it perfectly. The bitterness quickly faded leaving a nice chocolate bread taste.

Overall, this was one very smooth and drinkable porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2008 13:06:37 | More by Riverwarrior

PhageLab

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint glass.

A - Opaque black brew that produced a two tip head that stuck around for a while. Nice lacing. Good overall presentation.

S - Chocalate malts mostly but there is something a bit acrid that caused a hit here.

T - Very robust chocolate malt profile. Pretty sweet and a bit dry initially, but the finish has a perfect blend of tart and bitterness that balances this beer almost perfectly. Incredible.

M - Medium body, great carbonation level, slightly sticky.

D - Pretty good, this is easily an "anytime" porter, which is hard to find for me. Usually I have to be in the right mood for a porter, but this just sits so well I could see this being a regular for me. Very tasty and highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2008 17:22:35 | More by PhageLab

csmiley

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark, coffee like color. Got at least an inch of head that was gone pretty quick. Lacing was minimal.

S - Nice toasted scents are first on the nose. Those are backed up by coffee and alcohol. There is also a hint of honey. Not bad at all.

T - Slight burnt coffee flavor accompanies the alcohol and roasted malt. The honey just fades away in the flavor. Really packs in alot of flavor for a 5% abv English porter.

M - Gets a rating of medium bodied. Carbonation was good.

D - This was a flavorful beer that went down smooth and easy. I would have to give this one a thumbs up.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2007 02:32:42 | More by csmiley

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up at Well's Discount Liquors in Baltimore, MD.
Poured from a cool brown 12oz into a Guinness Nonic.

A - Deep brown, almost black w/ garnet highlights w/ a slow cascade of tan that measures 2.5 fingers. The head is frothy and sinks quickly making a film of lace.

S - Malty crisp, milkball w/ cream and vanilla on top of a bed of dark roast coffee w/ a light sweet hop note.

M - Roasted coffee w/ a hint of smoke and moderate carbonation. The feel has a sweet smooth quality that ends slightly dry.

T - A rich creamy caramel malt w/ coffee and toasted notes. Roasted barley w/ a touch of sweet vanilla. The herbal hop flavor complements the cocoa-like sweet quality of this porter. It has the right combination of Dry and sweet, Malted and roasty.

D - I could drink these often, I found this to be very drinkable, a quaffer at only 5%, yet full of flavor and many tasty textures. The ale is missing the overroasted chalkiness that is common in some porters.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2007 12:47:56 | More by Slatetank

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - pours opaque from a straight-on look, but when held up to light shows deep ruby hues. Not much to the head retention, a wisp of cocoa around the edge.

Aroma - roasted malt, a touch of char along with espresso. Fades slightly but still pretty good. Shows off a little chocolate as it warms.

Taste - good solid roasted malt. There is a little char flavor as in the nose, complements well. Good coffee/espresso flavor. Dry, a touch chalky on the swallow, good roastiness returning, even a modest hop nip.

Mouthfeel - crisply carbonated, an element of smoothness. Pretty much on par.

Drinkability - a tasty porter, worth a few more.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2007 18:59:51 | More by brewdlyhooked13

ElGeordie

Virginia

4.65/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

An excellent example of what a porter should be.
Good head great colo(u)r and flavo(u)rs to die for.
St George Brewing Co. have really done their homework and produced an authentic British style porter. Reminds me so much of my favourite beer: Youngers No.3 (RIP)
Tasty but not overpowering, complex but not confusing. A great beer that you can drink for a full sesh.
I bought a sixtel direct from the brewery and I'm going to get another very soon !

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2007 19:10:14 | More by ElGeordie

phisig137

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A vigorous pour yields a deep black body and a 3 finger head with great retention. Huge amounts of delicate lace and a thick foam cap are left in the glass. Lace lasts all the way to the bottom. Nice.

Aroma is quite well rounded. Roasted and toasted malts are there in abundance, leading to great coffee and biscuit aromas. Dark fruits soaked in dark rum are present, as well as a healthy dose of molasses. Almost smells like an imperial stout.

Flavor is much drier than expected, yet also well rounded. The coffee aroma turns to a more chocolaty flavor, with a lot of fruit background, particularly plums. Nice lingering hop flavor on the slightly bitter finish. Creamy mouthfeel, although a bit thin. Drinkability is great.

Good all around, but just a tad watery in the middle. Perhaps just a touch more crystal malt would help boost the body. Overall very good though. It's always nice to see a brewery sticking with old world tradition, doing it well, and not making everything extreme. Well done St. George!

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2007 00:15:54 | More by phisig137

snowranger05

New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This might be one of the best porters I've had in quite a while. It was last night, and I'd driven 12 hours from NH to my brother's in Virginia before being welcomed in with this fine brew. Anyhow, it's got a great flavor and mouthfeel. The flavor comes across as smooth and chocolately, along with some notes of roasted barley. There's a wonderful silky texture on the tongue. I didn't pour it into a glass, so I didn't get the full aroma or appearance, but nothing about this beer tells me I wouldn't want to have it again! I'd definitely recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2007 21:12:43 | More by snowranger05

JamesS

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very nice porter! It has an excellent, dark coloring; very deep and robust aroma; it goes down very smooth; a very rich, smooth, mellow, and chocolatey flavor. I would recommend trying this. I wish I would have bought a six-pack of this, as well as the sampler pack when I was at the brewery.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2007 00:47:10 | More by JamesS

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark brown color with very little light getting through the glass. Slight tan edge layer around the glass. NOthing spectacular, but dead on in style.

Dark brown sugar aroma with a roasty maltiness. Some chocolate comes through as well. Most of the nose is the roast aroma, but honestly could be a bit more aromatic.

At first, i get the sense of black licorice at first, but it quickly turns to a brown sugar flavor with some roasty burnt chocolate. The finish is quite roasty still with a nice hop bitterness coming through to balance the sweetness. Very nice!

Average body for a porter. Prickly carbonation hits the tip of my tongue then gets smooth and even a bit dry on the finish. Nice.

One of the more pleasant porters I've had in recent memory. Nice flavor with nice body. No complaints here, and maybe the best of the offerings from St. George's that I've been able to try.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2007 01:06:56 | More by Fish113d

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black cherries dipped in chocolate. I love the fiery, ember-like edges where beer meets glass. The golden beige cap is all sorts of attractive. It's thickly creamy, persistent and is a lace generator of the highest order. I like my porters to look more like stouts (as this one does) than brown ales.

The nose is chock full of chocolate. I doubt it, but it almost smells like real chocolate was added rather than just chocolate malt. There's a generous shot of roasted barley as well. If there's a 'rich malt base', as the brewery claims is present in all their beer, we're in business.

St. George Porter is a well-brewed porter, no doubt about it. The flavor profile matches the appearance and the aroma in that it's dark and rich (for the style). I've had quite a few stouts that weren't this bold and full of flavor. Thankfully, hops have not been forgotten.

Bittersweet chocolate and black coffee saturate the taste buds with every large gulp. Very close to being equally as prominent is a tantalizing hoppiness that favors spruce and citrus fruit, although I won't attempt to guess specific varieties. It's a nice balancing act if you're a hophead and is arguably unbalanced if you aren't.

While the mouthfeel is perfectly fine for a porter, that doesn't stop me from wishing for more chewiness. I detect a hint (okay, maybe a suggestion) of viscosity as the beer warms, but it would be so much better if it was bigger.

Porter is my first foray into the world of St. George beer. I'm impressed. I like the fact that it favors the more substantial end of the style spectrum. All those hops don't hurt either. Jolly good show.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2007 13:39:14 | More by BuckeyeNation

guinness33

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an excellent looking near black colour with hints of ruby when held to the light. The head is a thick, creamy tan colour that leaves a heap of residue on the glass.

The aroma is a bold blend of chocolate, some coffee, hints of roasted malt and of course some caramel throughout.

The flavour is in line with the aroma: chocolate dominates and is inter cut with a healthy dose of coffee at the finish of each sip. Caramel sweetness is down a bit here and the malt seems to have a bit of a toasted quality along with more roasted notes picked up in the aroma. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and creamy. It's nice that this one doesn't stray into heavy stout territory in terms of mouthfeel.

I really dug this one. It's hearty and flavourful but subdued at the same time. I can't get St. George brews at my local stores, but the next time I am in Delaware or Maryland I'll definitely take a look for some more of this stuff as well as some of their other brews. Recommended with ease.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2007 01:32:21 | More by guinness33

atsprings

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark opaque black with a frothy off-white head that lasts and leaves spotty lacing. The aroma is of dark malts. The taste is of dark malts with some bitter dark chocolate. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, almost like a milk stout minus the roastiness. This would make for an excellent winter session beer, but is also enjoyable on a hot spring night. Likely the best beer St. George makes.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2007 05:19:37 | More by atsprings

jhu1995

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours almost black with little head and no lacing. Poured it vigorously to try and get a head but didn't work. Smell was roasted malts and lots of chocolate. Taste followed smell with the chocolate flaovrs very much at the front and the roasted/burnt malt flavor being very subtle. A light-bodied brew but very smooth and rich. One of the easiest drinking brews I've had. A good, tasty session brew. Worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2007 00:44:08 | More by jhu1995

Flashy

Vermont

4.18/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours dark brown, almost light black(?).

Aroma: Strong malt with some chocolate. Smells like a strong alcohol porter, but it's not there in the taste (or in the beer). Get's me.

Taste: Like everyone else says, chocolate and malt with a nice bite in the end like the Baltic Porters.

Mouthfeel: Nice mouthfeel, silky they way it should be.

Drinkability: One of the best American Porters I've had, could be a bit more complex but I love this stuff.

[ serving type: bottle ]

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2007 20:16:54 | More by Flashy

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours mahogany with 1" of tan colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Faint roasted malt

T: Chocolate, roasted malt, & a touch of iron as this warms. Finishes with rich chocolate & roasted grains

MF: Slick, well-balanced with pretty good carbonation

Drinks pretty easy, a real straight-forward English Porter

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2007 04:16:59 | More by russpowell

MaltyGoodness

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz. bottle

Pours a pitch black color with a small tan head that recedes. Mild, speckled lacing on the glass.

Aroma is roasted malts with some coffee and a nice breadiness.

Taste is dark roasted upfront leading into espresso and dark cocoa flavors. A fresh breadiness is present at the finish, as it has just a slight lingering roastedness.

Medium body, mild carbonation.

This is one tasty and well balanced English porter. I think I will try to get his into the regular rotation. Porter fans shoud seek out one of these.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2007 04:59:13 | More by MaltyGoodness