Robust Porter
Smuttynose Brewing Company

 

 

This is a classic that I’ve yet to get around to. In fact I’m surprised it’s still brewed at all, who is actively drinking Robust Porters in 2022? Well I know I’m always down to try one when I see it, so I’m excited to try one of the OGs. Let’s crack it open and see what it’s all about

Pours a very dark brown with a finger of creamy tan head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

The nose definitely has a light fruity sweetness as I’d expect, but the roast dominates more than I expected. I’m picking up aromas of brown sugar, dark roast coffee, char, earthy hops, milk chocolate, raisin, light toffee, and toasted nuts. There’s a very light salty/briny note that I get every now and then

It remains pretty similar in taste and a touch elevated without the hint of salinity from the nose. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting medium roast coffee, toffee, dark chocolate, charred toast, brown sugar, and light raisin. The swallow brings notes of raisin, milk chocolate, earthy hops, molasses, black pepper, medium roast coffee, smoked malt, and toffee

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes dry and roasty

This is solid stuff. Very drinkable for the abv but nicely complex

 

Look: It pours very dark brown with a brown head. Head retention is excellent.

Smell: It has aromas of chocolate and coffee with some light dark fruits.

Taste: It has roast and chocolate flavors with dark fruits. The most prominent dark fruit is plums. There are low levels of coffee in the background.

Feel: It has a medium body and has medium high bitterness in the finish.

Overall, well balanced and flavorful porter that is quick easy drinking in spite of the bit of a bitter bite.

 

 

I honestly dont know how I have never reviewed this beer on BA. Ive consumed this beer well over 100 times for sure.
Im pouring a cellar temp 12 oz can into my snifter. the beer pours a rich mahogany color but doesnt allow any light to pass through when I hold up the glass.
A dense creamy head of 3 cm foams up even with a gentle pour and this foam remains as a sturdy surface layer throughout the sampling. I also scattered lattice when I take a sip or swirl my glass.
The aroma on this beer is roasted malt, a bit of char, maybe tobacco too. This mixes some dark chocolate and just a hint of caramel. Spot on nose and appealing. Reminds me why I used to drink this beer so often.
The first sip reveals a medium body and medium tingly carbonation. The beer drinks really easy on the physical traits.
Flavor is roasted malt, some dark chocolate, hints of caramel and brown sugar too. This creates some balance and doenst make the beer sweet, just increases the complexity of flavors. There is also a bit of molasses on the finish and then the roast malt lingers long after each sip.
No hints of any booze and I dont get much hop profile. Very nice porter, that I will get back to buying more frequently again!

L: The stoutest looking porter I've had. It pours a solid black with a tall, foamy dark tan head that slowly dissolves into a thick film, leaving some nice lacing along the way.
S: Coffee, cocoa, smoke from a good cigar
T: very complex flavors that meld well. Roasted malts, strong coffee with a little sugar, 90% cocoa dark chocolate, tobacco, caramel or molasses, the burnt crust of a roasted marshmallow, toasted Russian rye bread, all followed by some bittering hops
F: medium-full bodied and smooth, slight tingle from little carbonation and a bitter-sweet finish.
O: This is damn good. Buy it.

 

 

L - dark brown with thick two-finger deep tan head. Good, sticky lacing.
S - roast malt. Oak?
T - follows the nose for sure. Nice.
F - thick mouthfeel with semi - dry finish.
O - really good beer! Really enjoyed it. One heck of a solid beer.

 

Large but short lived dense mocha colored head leaves good lacing atop a black body. Roasted malt aroma with threads of chocolate, chicory and dried fruit. Earthy, smoky flavors of the roasted malts are reminiscent of hearty pumpernickel bread washed down with a strong cup of coffee. Aftertaste swings toward a bitter, modestly hopped, long lasting finish. Mouthfeel is smooth, full bodied and moderately carbonated.

 

 

Very delicious beer.

Nice dark color - deep, deep brown.

Some light pleasant smell.

Very nice taste. Full flavored. Very slight bitterness.

Excellent porter.

look: black,

smell: burnt bread :D

taste: burnt, smoky, malty, roasty, coffee, complex

feel: creamy, thin, burnt/sweet finish, crushable

overall: I love it

This beer has gone downhill, sadly, since my last taste in 2013. We got a growler fill at the brewery ($6/64oz) and poured some into a pint glass when we arrived home. The look was as inviting now as it was then - dark brown, almost shimmering. The smell was our first clue. It smelled - artificial. We don'r homebrew so we don't know what we were smelling, but it wasn't good. We took a sip, followed quickly by a healthy gulp. It tasted as if the malted grain had been scorched, like old coffee grounds. There was that artificial taste again. I was disappointed; this had been a great beer. For the first time ever, I drain poured the rest of the 64oz. Something not good's going on at Smuttynose.

 

 

I'm not a porter lover but this wasn't awful. This is the Tennessee Titans of porters. Average. Smooth and goes down easy but I just don't see the BA love for this. It's decidedly ok. Not great. Not Terrible, definitely not a 92 though. Like the Titian's they have promise with Derrick Henry, but they also have Ryan Tannehill.

 

 

Pours deep copper with a 1/4 inch tan head, which quickly dissipates. Minimal lacing.

Aroma of molasses, chocolate, coffee.

Tastes of molasses, chocolate malt, coffee, cascade hops and possibly magnum hops?

Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Oily, slightly bitter finish.

Pretty tasty. Lack of a lasting head is a bit of a bummer, but a darn good porter none-the-less. "Make mine a Smutty"!

12 Oz Can poured into glass
Look - very dark brown colored, frothy medium foam head lingers. Lots of lacing.
Smell - not super pungent but there is some roasted malt, some milk chocolate. Subtle earthiness.
Taste - crisp roasted malt almost burnt. Creamy dark roast coffee. Bitter hops in the finish. It has balance but the lingering aftertaste is bitter almost burnt marshmallow malt. Carbonation is medium and body is medium-heavy.

Overall, starts out pleasant on the palate but turns from sweet into quite bitter. One of the more charred porters out there. The name says it all, it is robust. Good but not something i would go for regularly. Grade is an A-

 

Pours dark. Light head. Not much of an aroma. Clean smooth body followed by a heavy malt finish. Tastes burnt and smokey. Good balance. A very good porter.

 

 

 

One of the better porters available. Great feel, foreshadowed by a delicious bouquet of coffee dark chocolate roastiness wafting up your olfactory nerve. Tasty porter flavors leaning slightly towards stout territory (for me means minus raisin notes etc...). Easy drinking and smooth.

 

 

 

Reviewed as part of BJCP training. 20A American porter
Thick tan creamy head, decent retention, good lacing, super dark brown basically black, opaque

Nose big dark malts, a little roasty almost char, plenty of chocolate, cocoa, little roasted coffee and slight Smokey burnt malts,

Taste rich dark malts, slight burnt smokey malt, with more dark chocolate and mild roasted coffee, despite heavy roasty it's smooth and not harsh or acrid, some mild earthy almost spicy hops kick in with medium to higher bitterness on combination with the malt, hint of sweetness, drier finish, lingering bitterness but smooth

Mouth is full bod, medium carb, smooth richness

Overall quite nice, not sure how I haven't reviewed this yet, great classic American robust porter

 

 

One of my all time favorites! I haven't seen this in a while, I'll find it and enjoy. Feliz Navidad'