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Anchor Porter
Anchor Brewing Company

Anchor PorterAnchor Porter
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Anchor Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American Porter
Ranked #36
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,497
Avg:
4.09 | pDev: 11.25%
Reviews:
1,623
Ratings:
3,899
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 09, 2024
Added:
Mar 01, 2001
Wants:
  241
Gots:
  560
With deep black color, a thick, creamy head, rich chocolate, toffee and coffee flavors, and full-bodied smoothness, Anchor Porter® is the epitome of a handcrafted dark beer.

A blend of specially roasted pale, caramel, chocolate, and black malts, along with our top-fermenting yeast, creates complexity without bitterness. The brew is hopped at a high rate, and naturally carbonated. The result is dark in the glass, but surprisingly light on the palate.
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Rated: 3.52 by Aitor from Spain

Mar 09, 2024
Photo of raphhix
Reviewed by raphhix from Tennessee

3.97/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I am pretty certain that Anchor Porter was the first porter I ever drank, around 1986, probably the second opaque beer after Guinness. I have only had it occasionally in the intervening years, calibrating the wide variety of other porters, stouts and other high gravity beers I've enjoyed since then. I hunted around and bought this 6-pack the week the bankruptcy was announced and have been savoring it since then. Not sure I can really provide a proper review for the beer that was my introduction to the style, but here goes.

Pours a deep brown, only allowing transmission of a little ruddy light around the edges. Foam is cream colored, but not long lasting. Smell is roasted grain, very clean. Taste starts with malt and a hint of cocoa or chocolate, roasted grain comes on strong soon thereafter. Feel is smooth and very dry for the style, the result of more hops than a typical (english) porter and the roasted grain. Overall, this is a very flavorful but light bodied, for the style and color, beer. This beer (and later Schwarzbiers) has always been my answer to those who say dark beer is too heavy.
Feb 25, 2024
Photo of jjamadorphd
Reviewed by jjamadorphd from Florida

3.87/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Decent porter...

I found this to be a roasted flavored porter - medium-bodied, with a similar experience to the nose. It was boozier than the 5.6 ABV advertised which added a dimension to the overall experience.
Jan 13, 2024
Photo of DoctorRobert1969
Rated by DoctorRobert1969 from California

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Solid Anchor quality. Leaning into stout bitterness territory but not too much.
Jan 04, 2024
 
Rated: 4.88 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Dec 04, 2023
Photo of TwentyDimes
Reviewed by TwentyDimes from Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Opened on Nov 10th. Poured to a shaker.
Dark brown, thick semi creamy coffee foam slowly reduced to thin, spot lacing.
Shy nose to start then classic candied raisin chocolate with touch of herbal, spicy, and coffee nose. I can smell it all day.
Same dried fruits and sweet spicy malty notes, following to moderately long, mouth coating, layered finish.
Medium body and weight, clean, full richness, signature Anchor carbonation and mouthfeel.
It is an excellent porter, packed with flavor, complexity, and balance, so crushable. Again, it is sad to see this go.
Nov 21, 2023
Photo of KP7
Reviewed by KP7 from Massachusetts

4.42/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark brown with ruby edges when held to the light. Two and a half fingers of tan/brown head form readily and linger.

Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roast coffee, with some molasses-like sweetness and dark fruit as well.

The taste is superb, with not-quite-dark chocolate, cocoa, and brownie at the fore of the sip. Bitter characteristics quickly come through, though, keeping things from getting too sweet. Roast grain, roast coffee, and char turn those initial flavors into dark chocolate and fudge brownie. Then as it warms things change up again with a lighter sweetness becoming present bringing along caramel, toffee, milk chocolate, and dark fruit. It finishes dry with dark chocolate lingering on the palate through the aftertaste.

The carb comes out easily on the pour to form a robust head, leaving a low carb beer in its wake. It works well here, contributing to a smooth and medium-light body.

Overall, this is a great porter that checks all of the boxes for me. Porter is my favorite style and this has been a memorable one, potentially the best mass-market Porter I've had.
Oct 15, 2023
 
Rated: 4.02 by DownyIsHungry from Minnesota

Sep 22, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by SRV from Oklahoma

Sep 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4.09 by not2quick from Missouri

Aug 29, 2023
Photo of dcotom
Reviewed by dcotom from Iowa

4.06/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 12-ounce bottle into a Willi Becher glass. Appearance leaves nothing to be desired. Cola-colored body with ruby highlights, a thick long-lasting light tan head, good retention and lacing. For my money, this reaches its peak at near room temperature. Roasty and a little bitter, with notes of caramel, chocolate, toffee, and dark fruit coming to the fore. Medium-light in body, with a bit of astringence and a sour note lingering on the finish. Overall, an outstanding beer. Hopefully Anchor will find some way to carry on.
Aug 01, 2023
Photo of cheeseheadinMinneapolis
Reviewed by cheeseheadinMinneapolis from Wisconsin

4.12/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled on 03-28-2023. Enjoyed on 7/30/2023 This my second bottle. I had the first on on 7/28/2023. For some reason this bottle is better and has more robust flavor.
Impressive head with a aggressive pour, leaves plenty of lacing.
Flavor is roast, chocolate, caramel, and a hint of dark fruit. Plus a micro hint of coffee. Rather smooth and slightly bitter overall.
A solid beer, kinda old school.
Jul 31, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by seakayak from Massachusetts

Mar 10, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by mmilyko from Nevada

Feb 17, 2023
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled on: 06-09-22

A - Pitch black pour with a frothy layer of creamy foam resting on top.

S - Nice roasty chocolate and coffee malt aroma with a touch of char.

T - Chocolate roast, a slight bit of coffee, some toffee, and a hint of dark fruit. Finishes with a pleasing lingering chocolate coffee char. There's also a very slight bit of astringency.

M - Medium body with soft prickly carbonation.

O - Solid and glad to finally find this one, first time ever noticing it on the shelf.
Feb 03, 2023
Photo of MNJR
Reviewed by MNJR from Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Roasty, smooth, flavors of cocoa, fruit (raisin and prune come to mind), slightly spicy. Sits well with me, and sips well with me. An old favorite, a classic, great porter beer.
Jan 07, 2023
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

4.14/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Pours a dark, nearly black color with a mild tan head. SRM of 23. (3.75)

Aroma: Strong aromas of English and dark chocolate, some coffee and hints of dark malt and molasses underneath. (4.00)

Favor: Strong flavors of bittersweet chocolate, dried cocoa powder, with some coffee and dark malt. Balanced by dry finish. (4.25)

Feel: Medium-bodied, roasted grainy mouthfeel. Balanced. (4.00)

Compared to Einstok Icelandic Porter 1/7/2023: Pours similar, milder aromas. More chocolate and roast. Less bittersweetn chocolate and English cream. Roastier, dryer, and more American.

Compared to Surly Skeleton Tree 1/7/2023: Pours darker, stronger aromas. More chocolate. Less airy roast, dark grain, and yeast. Slightly maltier and more balanced.

Compared to Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald 3/2023: More English chocolate, espresso bean dark fruit. less bittersweet chocolate, dark roast, bitterness.

Compared to Bent Paddle Black 3/2023: More English chocolate, espresso bean, dark fruit. Less milk chocolate, coffee roast. Milder.

Overall: A nice Porter here with bittersweet English chocolate, cocoa, and roasted flavors. Drinks balanced, but leans dry as a porter should. A lower ABV and clean, yet flavorful. Nicely done and balanced all around. (Rating: 4.14)
Jan 07, 2023
Photo of Wattie83
Reviewed by Wattie83 from Pennsylvania

4.17/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 12oz bottle to a nonic pint glass. Pours a deep, rich brown with a decent dark khaki head that settled to a cap. Beer is opaque. Smell is roasted malt, caramel, and chocolate. Also there's a bit of hop aroma too. Taste had cocoa, coffee, roasted barley, generic fruitiness in the finish. Feel is medium bodied, well-carbonated. Overall, this is a really nice porter with a strong hop presence, yet it still remains rather well- balanced.
Dec 24, 2022
Photo of Hooded
Reviewed by Hooded from Texas

4.72/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass.
The body is inky black with a half inch of brown head with a mild pour. Retention is average.
The intensity of aroma is medium. There are notes of malt, salted toffee, rich dark chocolate and black coffee. It smells wonderful.
The intensity of taste is medium high with a dryer and more hoppy flavor than the aroma suggests. Normally, I loath hoppy porters, but Anchor got this one right. With a swallow, the flavor keeps going. There are flavors of toffee, deep dark chocolate, more black coffee than in the aroma and a long pronounced hoppy flavor that's medium in intensity. It's rich and delicious. I've missed having a go to dark beer after New Castle changed. This will likely be it's much better replacement. I usually support local Austin breweries, but this is a much better beer than 512 Pecan Porter which is much more expensive for a four-pack compared to a six-pack of this.
The thickness is just under medium. It's quite dry with a low level of astringency. Well, I finished the bottle before I could accurately detect the level of creaminess. With it's 5.6% ABV, I'm feeling a little numbness in my face. I will open another bottle tomorrow to finish this.
The level of creaminess is high. The carbonation is unique. The bubbles are tiny and tickle the tongue creating a effervescent quality. It has a lot of world class qualities in the mouth feel alone.
Overall, I'm amazed by how excellent this is. After trying a few beers that I didn't care for, Anchor Porter reminded me how truly great a beer can be.
Sep 20, 2022
Photo of GRodgers01
Rated by GRodgers01 from Ohio

4.46/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Tasty
Sep 13, 2022
Anchor Porter from Anchor Brewing Company
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 3899 ratings