Imperial Porters

Generally anything with flavorings added will be better fresh, because those flavors will tend to fade over time. A straight 9% porter should age just fine, though. Whether it's necessary or not would be a matter of the particular beer and personal opinion.

 

I agree with Tongorad on the flavored ones, you will lose a lot of the intended profile aging those, otherwise the rest would age very nicely.

 

The best imperial porter I've ever had is brewed without adjuncts: Russian River Shadow of a Doubt. Unfortunately it isn't packaged and is only available at the brewpub in Santa Rosa, CA. I think it is amongst the 3-4 best beers in their entire world class portfolio, so make sure to try it if you ever get a beer trip to Sonoma.

Victory at Sea is probably the best known of this style and personally I would say that aging that beer does it NO favors. And you are talking about vanilla flavor in that one, so I would tend to agree with @TongoRad

 

I haven't seen it in a while, but, whenever I've had it, I've always enjoyed Thomas Hooker's Imperial Porter.

 

You'll lose a lot of the added flavors. If you want to age one for experimental reasons or because you didn't care for it fresh great. Otherwise drink it fresh.

 

DuClaw's is a prime example of artificial flavors being added that will fade and/or "skunk" even with age. Drink it fresh. It's good, but not a fantastic example of an imperial porter, and its use of artificial flavor add-ins isn't doing it any favors. For my money Deschutes' Black Butte anniversary porters are the best imperial porters on the market (even if 2016 wasn't a break out year), and those are chock full of natural flavor add-ins, and also likely wouldn't age spectacularly (though, they come with more flavor, better aging, and a higher price tag than their artificial flavor counterparts, to be sure).

What straight-up Imperial Porter options are on the market? In my (notably limited) travels I've never come across a beer marketed as Imperial Porter that didn't have flavor additions.

 

@Casterbridge, already provided one example:



Imperial Porter
Style: Porter

ABV: 8.7%

Available: Year Round

Full bodied and rich color, our imperial porter has hints of roasted coffee, cocoa with a generous hop finish. Dark roasted malts blended with the crispness of English hops, this beer is smooth yet complex.

 

Smuttynose Baltic Porter. A leader of the pack

 

Flying Dog Gonzo, which I enjoy quite a bit:
http://flyingdogbrewery.com/?beers=gonzo-imperial-porter

Lager yeast, though, and while I love Baltic Porters too I put them in a bit of a different category because of the Lager characteristics.

 

Gonzo imo is Flying Dogs best beer. Really nice porter

 

As far as something I can get relatively easily, Jack's Abby Framinghammer Baltic Porter.

For a treat, if I can find it, Mikkeller Beer Geek Limfjordsporter https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13307/230688/
It's so good!

 

Limited or no availability of some of those posted in Australia but Victory at Sea is a favourite beer and the best imperial porter I have had to date. Hope to make it to Russian River next year ...

 

Perrin No Rules, as best as I can remember, is my favorite imperial porter. Not sure if I've tasted a lot of imperial porters.

 

Smoked porters age well. I recently enjoyed a Left Hand Smokejumper Imperial Porter.

Which reminds me of the odd conventions we have regarding porter vs stout naming. Smoked porters are common. Have you ever seen a smoked stout?

 

yeah, it's hard to beat Smuttynose Baltic Porter, or Jack's Abby Framinghammer, but I may be slightly regionally biased... Hi-Wire's Baltic Porter is really great too, for our mid-atlantic friends.

 

Expedition is on my short list.
(well... someone had to eventually do it )

 

I'm gonna say Gonzo as well. Often overlooked, but really good.

Best I've ever had was Alaskan Baltic Porter, but I believe thats been retired.

 

Empyrean Carpe Diem Barrel Aged Baltic Porter, 8% ABV. Really great porter, tastes like jam.