Samuel Adams Holiday Porter - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

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BA SCORE
84
good
-
1,939 Ratings

rAvg: 3.73
pDev: 12.87%
Reviews: 1135
Hads: 804

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Brewed by:
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Massachusetts, United States

Style | ABV
American Porter | 5.80% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (1132), on-tap (3).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

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Reviews

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Reviews by Groomsy:

Groomsy

Kentucky

4.18/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle from Winter Variety pack poured into pint glass.

Appearance: The beer pours out what looks like an almost black color, but it's actually a very deep brown with some hints of ruby. It's a rather opaque beer. There's a 1-finger off-white/tan head that sticks around for most of the glass and leaves some impressive web-like lacing all the way down the glass.

Smell: Much like other seasonals from Samuel Adams, the aroma is rich with caramel malts and robust sweetness. Unlike the Winter Lager, though, this beer also boasts a certain roasted character and a hint of chocolate with some spices thrown in as well. A slight hint of fresh, earthy hops is in there as well. Still a little on the weak side, but good.

Taste: I loved it automatically. Lots of caramel and toffee to start out, leading to a chocolate-like sweetness. Some nice hops finish out the palate along with another set of roasted/burnt malts, giving the beer a very smoky flavor as well. Very good balance here. The spices also add a nice touch and there's a slightly bread-like flavor which emerges as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel: Thick, creamy, robust. Not overwhelming, but this beer shows its authority. Goes down very smooth with some prickly carbonation which enhances some of the spice character.

Drinkability: Even for its winter weight and thickness, this beer is extremely drinkable and enjoyable. I wish so badly that this came in sixers during the winter months, this is truly a fantastic offering from Sam Adams.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 05:14:46 | More by Groomsy

More User Reviews:

NessaHilling

West Virginia

4.25/5 rDev +13.9%

05-19-2013 21:28:14 | More by NessaHilling

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.75/5 rDev +0.5%

05-16-2013 22:13:35 | More by Slatetank

williamjbauer

West Virginia

3.75/5 rDev +0.5%

05-16-2013 11:08:33 | More by williamjbauer

erialbill

New Jersey

3.75/5 rDev +0.5%

05-15-2013 12:57:16 | More by erialbill

carterbt

Virginia

4/5 rDev +7.2%

05-14-2013 03:19:12 | More by carterbt

pcsnyder

Pennsylvania

4.25/5 rDev +13.9%

05-10-2013 12:16:35 | More by pcsnyder

Bill235

Ohio

3.5/5 rDev -6.2%

05-09-2013 18:25:39 | More by Bill235

blknikon

Massachusetts

2/5 rDev -46.4%

05-08-2013 00:02:29 | More by blknikon

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.78/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Samuel Adams Holiday Porter is a full-flavored porter inspired by the famous drink of London's Victorian era luggage porters. Brewed with generous portions of Caramel, Munich and Chocolate malt, this hearty porter finishes with traditional English Fuggles and East Kent Goldings. Cheers! Brewed in the style of an American Porter, although it certainly does have its roots in the English Porter.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a snifter. Served north of 54º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a medium-thick mocha-white head of a creamy froth texture. Body color is a very deep brown with mahogany highlights. Carbonation is plentiful and active. Head retention is quite nice- it thickens into a thin cream cover but lingers for a significant time. The lacing is thin and streaked. Very nice appearance overall. 4.25

(Smell) Aroma contains traces of caramel, semi-sweet chocolate cream and coffee bean compliment a clean roasted malt backboard. Biscuity malt character with some mild dark fruit accents. Light, earthy hop presence with a mild floral afterglow. Despite the complexity, potency is very muted, even at higher temperatures. 3.5

(Taste) Sweet chocolate malt amongst lightly toasted caramel bread malts. Mild nutty dry finish paired with a mildly bitter floral hop assortment. The flavors are all more pronounced than in the aroma. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) Medium creamy, slick texture. Medium+ bodied for the style, medium body overall. Very filling. Not watery or thin taste. Finish is mildly bitter. 4.25

(Overall) Great porter, lots of flavor and depth. 3.75

Boston Beer Company's
Samuel Adams Holiday Porter
3.78/5.00

Vertical Notes:
Winter 2011 (1 year, 6 months aged)

Very little change in appearance- retention is a touch worse than the fresh batch. Aroma is similar, although most of the subtleties are gone, and a mild sourness has set in to the roasted malt character. Flavors are wet toasted bread malts and a pinch of candied sugar with a mild oxidation on the finish. Mouthfeel qualities are the same, albeit a slightly dryer finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 03:38:33 | More by Jadjunk