Samuel Adams Honey Porter
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Samuel Adams Honey PorterSamuel Adams Honey Porter
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From:
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
English Porter
Ranked #96
ABV:
5.45%
Score:
83
Ranked #23,953
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 13.08%
Reviews:
638
Ratings:
919
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 20, 2023
Added:
Feb 12, 2002
Wants:
  50
Gots:
  27
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by melagnus:
Photo of melagnus
Reviewed by melagnus from California

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Pours into small 6 oz. snifter with finger-thick head that quickly dissipates to thin filminess. Smoked off-white in color, the head appears lighter in hue than the clear Ruby Brown (SRM 24) body. The darker color spectrum makes it difficult to judge the carbonation level, though when held up to sunlight little carbonation can be seen. Legs do form on the side of the glass, though nothing close to that seen with an IPA.

S - Smoky and sweet. Bright sweet honey (Scottish Heather Honey) notes come through on the top-end with roasted (Brown Malt?) chocolate (Chocolate Malt?) with the slightest bit of caramel (Caramel Malt?) comes through on the bottom-end. Spicy hop esters play a prominent role in the bouquet as well. Slight biscuit (Biscuit Malt?) earthiness round the beer out. Mild Ale Malt probably forms the base, though only a guess. Fruitiness (dried raisins) is barely noticeable, as the honey and roasted malts drown this out. Umami finishes on the palate as well via the fat from

According to the website, Pale Two-Row Metcalfe & Harrington make up the base, with Munich (10%) and Caramel (60%) are stewed to bring about the raisiny and caramelized aroma. Weyermann Carafa® make up the other half of the crystalized malt mixture. So in other words, Chocolate and Biscuit Malts are not in this beer, though there are indeed five different malt varietals. Spalt Spalter & UK Fuggles are listed as the primary hops used, with Kent Golding hops listed as the one utilized for dry hopping.

T - Sweet malty profile comes through with a sting honey that finishes out nicely with a lasting bitterness (IBU 30ish?) via the dry hopped English Kent Golding Hops and possibly as well contributed to the choice in malts.

M - Biscuit-like dryness with mouth coating sweetness. Medium in body and slightly syrupy via the honey. Slight creaminess is also noticeable, though numbing hop component more noteworthy. Carbonation tingles the tongue warming is hardly noticeable (5.45% ABV).

C - A very nice and intriguing beer that would pair nicely with a beef-based stew, or some dark chocolate. The honey twang to the beer also would behoove me to think about a peanut butter & honey sandwich! Lastly, a mild buzz can be felt upon last sip and allows for more than one, though the bitterness and sweetness can be pretty demanding of the palate.

Prost!
May 27, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.04/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
"Best by 1/20/24"; drank 11/19/23 @ the Yarchives.

Semi-opaque brown/orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a big tan head; a thick curtain of tree-rung lacing remained.

Rye spice, mild caramel & faint honey notes in the nose.

Sticky medium mouthfeel.

Honey, mild caramel & a strong metallic note on the finish.

Not sure what happened here, but this was a tough swath to mow.

Not one I'll ever seek out again.
Nov 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.85 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 19, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
355 ml, from Systembolaget, Sweden, thanks to OleR. ABV is 5.45%. Very dark brown colour, big and lasting beige head. Fairly moderate but pleasant aroma of heather honey, also notes of roasted malts, caramel, chocolate, fruity hops and mild coffee. The flavour is not as sweet as I feared, but the heather honey has a distinct presence throughout, nicely balanced by the hops. There is also a moderate roastiness, again with moderate notes of caramel, chocolate and mild coffee. Unlike the brewers I would not call this a "robust" porter, but it is certainly a good one all the same.
May 16, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by Maltyhead from Massachusetts

Jun 23, 2020
Photo of kryansutton
Reviewed by kryansutton

4.89/5  rDev +33.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
So I am a lager, porter, stout man, and I love honey. The complexity of making the perfect brew and roasting hops to perfection is difficult to say the least, But when My Brother brought me this for the 4th of July, and I am talking 48 bottles of bliss. I was in heaven for the weekend.

Just take a look at this baby, Soft supple label, Normal Sam Adams with a pint. Cracking this bad boy, If you have read previous reviews, I Enjoy cracked a bottled beer close to the nose to breathe in the beer fog from the Seal. I admit I got goosebumps from this baby. Roasted Barly, Chocolate tones, But a huge honey Smell, that I could immediately taste, The only thing was, You can barely taste the honey in the brew unless you let it sit and get warm, The perfect temp to enjoy this Bottle is around 45 - 50 degrees, Yeah yeah most beers are better around 33 - 36 degrees but trust me on this, It goes down smooth and coats your mouth just right, that honey undertone will pop out and you will get a sweet aftertaste. I find when I am trying something new, is to enjoy it in many different stages, I try the bottle first, Cold as I can get before it gets frozen. Deciding from there how to best enjoy it, can at times be a chore, but a fantastic one.

Like should I leave it in the bottle, Should I pour some into the glass and witness the colors, should I give it a little head or a lot. pour slow or fast, Should I allow it to breathe? Get warm? Add something to it, what food shall I pair it with. What would make it sweeter or more bitter? On this particularly warm day 102 degrees in the shade. sitting next to a lake, with my Fishing rod in the water. I had no Glass, no stine or pint with handle. I engulfed the body of the beer at first break of the seal, I took a quick sip to establish flavor. Nice and mellow, I had to pee. I left the beer to breathe. The bitter first taste on a honey beer had me worried. As I ran back to my pole in the water, with a fish on it, Losing my pants around my Knees and realing in a 12 pounder ~ Bass. I wiped my brow, Unhooked the fish, and tossed me back. picked up my Sam Adams and downed half the bottle, To my amazement, I found the honey undertone, the chocolate overtones, the Malty and roasted, in your face tones, "Holy Crap" I said to my brother, "This is awesome" I pulled another from my cooler, and placed it on the top, to allow the sun to gently kiss it and warm it up just so. I finished my first. Placing the bottle into my knapsack and cracked the next one, Perfect from the draw. Finding this little legend only needed to warm up a bit before it became a giant among the Honey line of beers.
Mar 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.24 by EOC from Mexico

Dec 06, 2018
 
Rated: 3.39 by Khaack from New York

Oct 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.1 by mikr from New Jersey

Oct 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by FrankK from Alabama

Jun 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by CDBeerDisappear from Ohio

Jun 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.56 by Squire from Mississippi

May 23, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.04/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Brown colored, thinner color than average porter, but a solid 1" of tan head make it nice overall. Aroma was roast, nothing sweet going on.

Taste hit the sweet notes the aroma did not. Leaned away from hops. Chocolate malt in there. Gets smoother as it warmed.

Another relatively average beer from SA, most importantly perhaps, no off flavors. Decently done.
Mar 22, 2016
Photo of long1962
Rated by long1962 from Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Good porter
Mar 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by HoppyBeerisHappyBeer from Indiana

Feb 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by Leever73 from Wyoming

Jan 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by Zylod from West Virginia

Jan 02, 2016
 
Rated: 2.9 by Docrock from Illinois

Nov 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.24 by swimmatt from Connecticut

Nov 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.19 by baseball636 from Connecticut

Aug 25, 2015
Samuel Adams Honey Porter from Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 919 ratings