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

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a dimpled mug.

A - Pours a dark brown with edges of ruby, with a three-finger off-white soap sud style head that dissipated quickly, leaving behind small patches of lacing.

S - Moderate strength aroma of roasted grains, chocolate, and toffee. Some earhty hops as well.

T - Follows the nose almost exactly with toasted malts and toffee forward, but overall the flavors are pretty subdued. Very grainy. A hint of chocolate flavor. Decent balance between sweet and bitter malts.

M - Thin and kind of watery, even for a porter. Moderate carbonation.

O - A decent and drinkable porter, but nowhere near rich enough or flavorful enough to be considered memorable. A decent enough additional to the Winter Classics craft pack, but doubt I would seek it out over other available porters if it was available on it's own.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 00:15:11 | More by TempeBeerMan

swgwilt

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-26-2013 04:42:21 | More by swgwilt

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-26-2013 00:28:31 | More by Photekut

brewcifix

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-25-2013 15:11:52 | More by brewcifix

RummyRedbeard

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -26.3%

05-24-2013 22:21:05 | More by RummyRedbeard

ChrisMon02

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

05-22-2013 23:04:10 | More by ChrisMon02

Rdc67

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

05-22-2013 19:26:45 | More by Rdc67

stella77artois

New York

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-22-2013 15:25:37 | More by stella77artois

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-22-2013 15:22:34 | More by InspectorBob

Erice78

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-22-2013 01:45:16 | More by Erice78

HopsConley

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-21-2013 21:51:12 | More by HopsConley

jonkerbaugh

Colorado

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-21-2013 19:26:19 | More by jonkerbaugh

johntfox

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

05-21-2013 18:00:16 | More by johntfox

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

hattrick95

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

05-02-2013 01:16:42 | More by hattrick95

tbunting75

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%

04-30-2013 21:00:10 | More by tbunting75

FliryVorru

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +20.6%

04-29-2013 17:29:16 | More by FliryVorru