Porter
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- From:
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- Robust Porter
Ranked #53 - ABV:
- 5.6%
- Score:
- 87
Ranked #21,649 - Avg:
- 3.89 | pDev: 10.54%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1,483
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 28, 2026
- Added:
- Feb 09, 1999
- Wants:
- 154
- Gots:
- 557
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
Porter is a testament to roasted malts which give it a rich, bittersweet and roasted coffee-like flavor that's a perfect complement to a variety of foods.
Before Sierra Nevada was a reality, our nights were spent perfecting homebrews and dreaming of starting a brewery. Back then, one of our favorites was a porter made with homemade malt roasted in our kitchen. Decades later, we still love the rich, bittersweet and roasted malt flavors of that original brew.
Before Sierra Nevada was a reality, our nights were spent perfecting homebrews and dreaming of starting a brewery. Back then, one of our favorites was a porter made with homemade malt roasted in our kitchen. Decades later, we still love the rich, bittersweet and roasted malt flavors of that original brew.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Sinfull:
Reviewed by Sinfull from New York
4/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Classic of the genre. Dark brown color, beige head. Aroma of roasted caramel, coffee, and a hint of dark fruits. Sweet, malty, caramel taste with coffee notes. Pleasant roasted bitterness in finish and aftertaste.
Jun 08, 2025More User Ratings:
Rated by ttoadee from Texas
3.85/5 rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
RB transfer
Feb 28, 2026
Reviewed by DraftMonger from Denmark
3.76/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.76/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Copenhagen 10/12 2017. 35,5 cl bottle from Meny. The usual Sierra Nevada design with drawing of lush hills with a lot of barley.
Pours clear dark brown with red hue. Clumps of yeast moving around in the glass. Small off-white head. Settles as thin patchy layer of foam. Moderate lacing.
Aroma is sweet and roasted. Caramel, roasted malts, cocoa and molasses.
Surprisingly strong carbonation and fat, creamy palate.
Flavor has strong sweetness but balanced by medium bitterness.
The combination of fat palate and well balanced flavor makes this a big, heavy pleasure.
Jan 08, 2026Pours clear dark brown with red hue. Clumps of yeast moving around in the glass. Small off-white head. Settles as thin patchy layer of foam. Moderate lacing.
Aroma is sweet and roasted. Caramel, roasted malts, cocoa and molasses.
Surprisingly strong carbonation and fat, creamy palate.
Flavor has strong sweetness but balanced by medium bitterness.
The combination of fat palate and well balanced flavor makes this a big, heavy pleasure.
Reviewed by Sinte from Italy
4.02/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.02/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle 0.35L.
Dark brown body with reddish nuances; large, creamy, tan head, mosly lasting with nice lacing.
Moderate malty (caramel, roasted, coffee) aroma with notes of dark fruits and licorice.
Moderate-to-heavy bitter and light-to-moderate sweet flavour with a dry and bitter finish.
Medium-to-full body with creamy texture; soft carbonation.
Apr 10, 2025Dark brown body with reddish nuances; large, creamy, tan head, mosly lasting with nice lacing.
Moderate malty (caramel, roasted, coffee) aroma with notes of dark fruits and licorice.
Moderate-to-heavy bitter and light-to-moderate sweet flavour with a dry and bitter finish.
Medium-to-full body with creamy texture; soft carbonation.
Reviewed by ironprog from Florida
3.18/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.18/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Note: I am in the process of moving all of my ratings from other beer sites to here, so that all of my ratings are consolidated in one place. The review below is an exact copy of my original RateBeer review from 02/03/2017.
12 oz. bottle. Pours a very dark brown with a dirty-tan head that is frothy and fades slowly. Smells of chocolate and coffee are very prominent, but there are undertones of caramel too. The initial taste is a slightly bitter with a bit of a metallic tinge. Which is a bit unsettling, because the aromas tend to indicate you’re about to drink something sweet. It is medium-bodied with average carbonation, and a slightly bitter finish. Overall, a beer that I like and will probably buy again.
Jun 08, 202412 oz. bottle. Pours a very dark brown with a dirty-tan head that is frothy and fades slowly. Smells of chocolate and coffee are very prominent, but there are undertones of caramel too. The initial taste is a slightly bitter with a bit of a metallic tinge. Which is a bit unsettling, because the aromas tend to indicate you’re about to drink something sweet. It is medium-bodied with average carbonation, and a slightly bitter finish. Overall, a beer that I like and will probably buy again.
Reviewed by Siriusfisherman from New Hampshire
4.5/5 rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
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.
Feb 15, 2023
Rated by DanO1066 from Maryland
3.68/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.68/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Draught pint at The Brass Tap here in Baltimore
Dec 06, 2021
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York
3.83/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.83/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
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.
Aug 04, 20213.75 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.
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