Porter
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

 

 

A dry, crisp and hoppy rendition of the style. The aroma is very complex with roasted coffee, dark crusty bread, and burnt sugar notes being complimented with a substantial herbal and spicy hop character. The taste has more of the same with a spicy, bittersweet chocolate finish. A very unique drinking experience by todays standards with the style moving away from bitter flavors and more into sweet flavors in most examples. Too bad this one is not widely available these days, this is classic west-coast beer at its best.

 

 

Draught pint at The Brass Tap here in Baltimore

 

 

 

Oxblood with a thin ribbon of off white foam; cocoa powder, brown bread, and salted peanuts on the nose; salted caramel, brown toast, hazelnuts, chicory coffee, kola nut + slight licorice, light twiggy hopping to end; light, clean, salty, tightening bitterness.

3.75 3.75 3.75 4 4

Dec 30, ‘20 bottling date - 6 months old.
Much more like an English brown porter (aside from the bitterness) than most American porters. Roasty notes are low in favor of nutty, bready malts.
There’s also a thread of that Chico yeastiness throughout.
What saves it is the body: light and fizzy enough to be sessionable, but with a creaminess that makes it satisfying.

A solid beer, but get Edmund Fitzgerald for that classic American Porter profile.

Lighter, fizzier, sweeter, nuttier, more balanced, less hoppy, cleaner, and more sessionable than Sierra Nevada Stout.

 

 

12 oz. bottle dated 6/18/20

Clear, translucent brown ale with two fingers fine tan head. Full head and lacing.
Roast malt, gingerbread, earthy yeast aromas explode out of the bottle.
Nutty sweet roast malt, light hop kick, light char, coffee flavors, deepening as the glass warms. A yeast flavor that I seem to experience in a number of Sierra Nevada beers.
Light hop bitterness, medium feel, lasting carbonation
Substantial depth of flavors in a 5 % ABV ale. Very pleasant.

Nice roasty malt up front with some sweet earthiness mixed in. It has a light mouthfeel with lots of carbonation and a mild bitter end. The finish drops off quickly - too quickly actually. It really is a nice porter, but overall it's too light, could be so much more.

Pours a dark coffee brown, ruby hues and a creamy tan head. Aromas are fairly muted, a roasted malt profile is there but I can’t really pick anything definitive. Flavors include roasty malt notes of coffee, raw cocoa and earthy nuttiness. Trademark SN floral hop bite makes a subtle appearance on the back end. Mild carbonation. Lingering bitterness on the palate.

It’s good for sure, not extraordinary or anything. As with any beer, freshness is everything. I would love to get some of this closer to the source to see the contrast in the flavors.

 

Pours dark with a coffee note to it. Little head with a little light that gets through. Chocolate, coffee flavors upfront, sweet finish.

 

Had this one in a blind taste test recently with 3 other porters and it just did not stack up. The look was different, the carbonation was different, the taste was bland in comparison. Not as good as I remembered.

Look: Dark brown, almost black on the pour and deep ruby-red when held to light, with a frothy light tan head that settles slowly, leaving good lacing
Aroma: Roasted barley, chocolate notes, toasted nuts, warm brown bread, and some earthiness
Taste: Roast is the highlighted theme here. Tons of roasted barley, nuttiness, and even a light roasted coffee bean note hit hard up front and as those begin to subside, chocolate joins the mix. More roast goodness and earthy notes take hold and lead to the finish
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, smooth, medium-high carbonation, and smooth but slightly sharp on the finish from either the earthy hops or strong roast notes
Overall: This is tasty stuff. I hadn’t had this beer in almost two years as only one spot close to me has it in so when I saw bottles dated 10/9/20, I had to revisit and glad I did. A very well-made American porter with deep and rich malt flavors and enough earthy hops to keep it balanced. Throw in the very full body on this as well and you have yourself a winner. A classic and delicious to boot