Stone Smoked Porter (Stone Brewing Co.)

Attention Stone sales reps in New England!!!! Please see this review as yet another blatant attempt to push the distribution of your products north to the great state of Maine. We promise to drink hefty amounts of your beers and thus keep your sales managers happy, hell you might even get a bonus and then you can take your whole family on vacation up to scenic Maine! Think about it...

Pours a ridiculously dark black color with a nice big (some would say huge), thick, rich fluffy light caramel colored head. Held to the light a little redness shines through but other than that, this one is black as night.

Smell is creamy coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, burnt sugars, dark malts and a nice hint of hoppiness. Its a bit hard to separate out the smokiness as this one smells very rich and roasty, like a nice cup of coffee. That smoked malt smell is somewhere hidden in there but I can't seem to find it. Regardless, this is a great smelling porter.

First sip and the first thing I notice is how smooth this beer feels in my mouth. Its like iced coffee. Tastes of bitter chocolate, coffee (of course) and some smokiness definitely stands out but its in no way overpowering. Its actually quite a nice balance with the smokiness. The West Coast hops are present as well in the finish and provide a nice bitter dryness. Wow, this is good.

As far as smoked porters go, Stone's definitely stands out as one of the best. Another one to try and get your hands on are Alaskan Smoked Porter (arguably the best in the world).

BEER FACTS

Name: Stone Smoked Porter

Style: Smoked Porter

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Location: Escondido, California, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: Chinook & Mt. Hood

ABV: 5.9%

IBUs: 53

Drayman's Porter (Berkshire Brewing Company)

My wife's family is from Western Massachusetts and I am lucky enough to have a mother-in-law that stocks the fridge with Berkshire Brewing Company beers whenever we come and visit. What a great little brewery located just north of Northampton and just south of Greenfield. All of their beers are either on tap, in growlers or in bombers...no six packs. You can't go wrong with anything they brew. If you are ever down in Mass. be sure to be on the lookout.

The label of the Drayman's Porter shows the founders of BBC being, well...draymen. A drayman was the driver of a dray, a flat wagon that could be loaded and pulled by a team of horses. Behind the label is some heavenly goodness that pours a deep, dark brown almost black with a big thick, creamy, coffee-colored head. 

Smells very much of sweet malt, cream, chocolate and espresso. If you give it half a chance it will remind you a bit of a chocolate fudgesicle. All the great smells of a great porter.

Taste very creamy, sweet and then the bitterness of the hops and the roasted malts kick in and balance things out just right. What a smooth beer, it just slides down your throat and leaves you wanting another sip almost immediately. As it warms there is some dark fruit complexity that meshes will with all of their great tastes. If you can find this on tap plan on getting comfortable.

BEER FACTS

Name: Drayman's Porter

Style: Porter

Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company

Location: South Deerfield, Massachusetts, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: Chocolate malt & ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 6.2%

IBUs: ?

Baltic Porter (Smuttynose Brewing Co.)

This beer has been in my fridge for a couple weeks now and I've been eyeing it up and down every time I open the door. Finally, I have the chance to settle in and give it the attention it deserves.

The Baltic Porter was released in mid-January and is the newest member of the BIG BEER Series from Smuttynose. 

The label reads:

"Indigenous to northern Europe, Baltic Porters historically stem from the shipping of British porters to the Russian hinterland. Unlike their British cousins, Baltic Porters are often brewed with lager yeast, which is the tradition we follow. Big & bold, with flavors of coffee, dark fruit & raisins, this black beer is smooth as a chocolate swirl."

Wow, this pours thick and viscous. Perfect for a ridiculously cold night in St. Petersburg (or Portland). The head is nice and coffee colored and stays firmly planted on the top of the glass. It looks oily and like jet black coffee in the view from above. 

The smell of this is incredible. It smells like a cafe mocha made with lots of deep, dark espresso. Its such a delicious smell. A couple more whiffs and you get some of the very dark cooked fruit sweetness.

This is a chewy beer. No better way to describe it. Its rich, thick and very, very flavorful. Dark chocolate combined with rich maltiness and a nice bitter taste of coffee and hints of licorice. They really did a great job with this new release. It will be something to look forward to each January from now on!

For brewer's notes on this beer go HERE!

For the Smuttynose blog notes about this beer go HERE!

BEER FACTS

Name: Baltic Porter

Style: Baltic Porter

Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company

Location: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: Pilsner, Munich,CaraHell, Dark Crystal 120, Carastan 35, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt

Hops: Magnum and Liberty

ABV: 8.7% 

IBUs: 40

The Smuttynose BIG BEER Series is:

Baltic Porter - mid-January 
Imperial Stout - mid-February
Maibock - early April
Big A IPA - early May 
Farmhouse Ale - early June
Wheat Wine mid-August
Barley Wine - early October
S'muttonator Double Bock - mid-November

Coal Porter (Atlantic Brewing Company)

Ahhh...one of my favorite beers here in Maine. Atlantic Brewing Company brews some great beers and their porter is one that I always look for on tap, but its also excellent out of the bottle. Something I found on their site that I didn't know was that Atlantic actually cellars this one for six months before it leaves the brewery.

Pours almost pitch black with a thin coffee colored head. If you hold this up to a light you still can't see through it, there is a lot of dark roasted malt going on with this one! The smell is very roasty, malty and that of dark roasted coffee. Its such a great smelling beer! Along with the coffee comes hints of hoppiness. Its almost perfection!

This is a rich tasting beer. This is the type of beer that people that say "I don't like dark beers" live in fear of. But those of us who enjoy a nice, full flavored beer definitely know this one is not to be missed. This one finished with a nice bitter hop taste that mixes well with the malty sweetness and the almost burnt toast taste. Believe me, put it altogether and you have an outstanding porter and an all around outstanding beer.

BEER FACTS

Name: Coal Porter

Style: Porter

Brewery: Atlantic Brewing Company

Location: Bar Harbor, Maine, USA

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: Pale, crystal, Munich, chocolate, and black malts

Hops: Target & Willamette

ABV: 5.8%

IBUs: ?

Brewed in Maine

St. Nick's Porter (Andrew's Brewing Co.)

When I think of a Maine brewery, I tend to think of Andrew's in Lincolnville. The owner and brewer, Andrew Hazen, are one in the same, the brewing equipment was designed by Andrew and its in a very quiet area along the Maine coastline (not to mention he brews with his own well water).

St. Nick's Porter is one of a handful of beers that Andrew's brews. You are most likely to see the Porter and the Pale Ale in bottles. Not sure about the others. 

This one pours a dark brown color with a big fluffy head. The familiar smell of dark, roasted malt is very present along with coffee grounds and a whiff of hops. Altogether it smells like a very nice porter. 

Tastes a bit less rich than I was expecting, but nonetheless malty and roasty. This beer has a little more carbonation than some porters, its not a bad thing. No big deal, it still goes down smooth. You get some hints of hops, some pepper and more of the coffee grounds as this warms up a bit. I think I might let it sit a little longer and see how it changes, it might have been too cold. 

I like Andrew's. Its a nice addition, the 5th to operate in the state, to Maine's brewing persona. I am still trying to figure out who the dog and cat are on the bottle. I am assuming they are/were Andrew's but I can't be sure.

BEER FACTS

Name: St. Nick's Porter

Style: Porter

Brewery: Andrew's Brewing Company

Location: Lincolnville, Maine, USA

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: ?

IBUs: ?

Brewed in Maine

Longfellow Winter Ale (Shipyard Brewing Co.)

According to the label, "this hearty, winter warm ale is named in honor of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He was born here back in 1807 on the site where the Shipyard Brewing Company now sits overlooking Portland Harbor. Although as a young man her moved on to a bigger city to the south, he always remembered the beautiful town that is seated by the sea."

Longfellow is the namesake for many things here in the Portland area, its only fitting that he should have a beer named after him. I didn't know that the Shipyard Brewery now sits on the site where he was born, that is sort of remarkable.

Pours a dark ruby hue. Its dark enough to be a porter that is for sure, I wasn't actually sure what to expect until it came out of the bottle. I know I am a little late for this winter beer considering that next week marks the first day of spring, but better late than never. Anyways, the head is thin but stays well. This one has that familiar Ringwood smell along with roasted malt and a little bit of chocolate.

I read that this is beer is sort of a cross between a porter and a Scottish ale so I was definitely intrigued as to what it would taste like. After a couple sips I would have to say that this reminds me most of an English Winter Warmer. It definitely has the strong malt character of a Scottish ale and the roasted malt flavor of a porter. Its got a rather complex taste actually, kind of like one taste melding into another with a bitter finish. I am pretty impressed by this one. I've never had it before and didn't know Shipyard even brewed a beer of this style. A little searching on the internet shows that this beer gets very impressive ratings on the bigger beer sites.

This one is not to be missed. We've got quite a few more cold evenings left before the storm windows can be taken out. Grab a bottle while its still being stocked. Also, if you ever see this on tap let me know.

BEER FACTS

Name: Longfellow Winter Ale

Style: Porter

Brewery: Shipyard Brewing Company

Location: Portland, Maine, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 5.8%

IBUs: ?

Brewed in Maine

Voodoo Bear Porter (Black Bear Brewery)

Can someone confirm as to whether or not Black Bear Brewery and Bearbrew Pub are the same thing? Is the Voodoo Bear a beer on tap at Bearbrew Pub? Is there a Tuff End Porter still? Okay, I digress...

The Voodoo Bear pours a little browner than most porters. The head is thick, fluffy and off-white. Their is a fair bit of sediment in the bottom of my glass, not sure if that is typical of this particular beer or maybe I got an old bottle. Its hard to tell.

It smells a bit buttery and sweet. The taste is sort of peculiar, again I am not sure how fresh this beer is. Its yeasty with the buttery taste along with a spicy black pepper finish. Not what I was expecting. I think I'll end up giving this another try some time when I know its fresh. I am sure there is a nice dark, malty rich and hoppy porter hiding beneath this somewhere.

BEER FACTS

Name: Voodoo Bear Porter

Style: American Porter

Brewery: Black Bear Brewery

Location: Orono, Maine, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts:?

Hops: ?

ABV: ?

IBUs: ?

Brewed in Maine

Årgång Porter 2007 (Mariestads)

Mariestads was a small independent brewery in the small Swedish town of Mariestad until 1967. Now it is owned by the largest Swedish-owned brewery in the country, Spendrups, and has become a "high-end" line of beers for them.  I think the idea is to fool the consumer into thinking that the Mariestads line of beers is brewed in a small private brewery, which is unfortunately not the case. Because of this, Mariestads seems kind of like an attempt at a micro-brew line from a macro-brewery.

This porter pours pretty much as to expected. Its dark with a coffee colored head which dissipated quickly. It smells like rich malt and very, very sweet. I kind of had an idea of what it would taste like just by the way it poured and smelled.

It seemed sort of oily and watery in the first taste, but one good thing about very dark beer is that it masks a lot of imperfections. Despite a rather unrefined porter taste, its a drinkable beer. In Sweden you buy your beers individually, there is no 6-packs, 12-packs or cases. This allows you to mix your beers and get as many of each as you want. I only bought one of these and I think that was a smart decision.

BEER FACTS

Name: Årgång Porter 2007

Style: Porter

Brewery: Mariestads Bryggeri AB

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: Pilsner, Vienna and Caramel

Hops: Saaz and Fuggles

ABV: 5.9%

IBUs: ?

Baltic Thunder (Victory Brewing Company)

This beer has history. Not just the Baltic porter style that it represents, but this particular beer. Victory Brewing Company made a deal with the now defunct Heavyweight Brewing Company to keep their Perkuno's Hammer under the name Baltic Thunder and...

"While Heavyweight Brewing deserves credit for introducing the Baltic porter style to many craft beer fans, this beer from Victory represents an all new recipe fashioned on the experience of Tom's (Tom Covaleski was the owner of Heavyweight) original intense brew. One noteworthy difference is the higher alcohol by volume of Baltic Thunder, 8.5% compared to Heavyweight's, which weighed in at 8%. 

An additional distinction is Victory's use of black eyed peas in lieu of Roman beans. Despite these changes, this dark lager still features a reminiscent roasted character that embodies the fullness of toffee, along with subtle fruit flavors derived from its higher temperature fermentation. Long, cold aging tempers this complex beer into a well-rounded delight that warms with its significant alcohol strength."

Regardless of the slightly complicated story behind Victory's Baltic Thunder, this is one smooth dark lager. I wasn't actually aware that Baltic Porter's were lagers or maybe its just this one? I was/am confused a tad bit on that. If someone can give me a break down that would be great!

Baltic Thunder pours dark and slightly oily. Its head diminishes quickly and yet the carbonation is quite apparent compared to other strong porters i've had. It smells malty, sweet, slightly fruity and I don't get any alcohol from the smell alone.

The taste is, well, similar to the smell. Its nice and smooth. Its malty, sweet and the carbonation adds something to the taste as its going down. This is yet another beer that has a high ABV, but its not abrasive whatsoever.

I am kind of a novice when it comes to Baltic porters, its a style that I've rarely had the chance to drink. I am however fairly familiar with Victory. I have family in the town where the brewery is located (Downingtown, PA) and I've had most of their other beers. They are all excellent. This one is no exception. When you get good beers from a brewery, you tend to try their new releases without too much thought.

I'm glad I picked this up. Baltic Thunder is a nice, strong, dark lager and something new for my taste buds. The style's history is akin to that of Imperial Stouts and India Pale Ales. I love when taste and style meet history and even more so when its beer related!

I bought this big bottle down in Massachusetts for $6.99. Victory doesn't distribute in Maine unfortunately.

Beer Facts:

Name: Baltic Thunder

Style: Baltic Porter

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company

Location: Downingtown, PA, USA

Container: 22oz bottle

Malts: German 2-row and roasted

Hops: European whole flower

ABV: 8.5% 

IBUs: ?

Winter Ale (Coastal Extreme Brewing Company)

After braving a pretty brutal New England winter storm (complete with rain, snow, sleet and various other forms of precipitation) to get down to Rhode Island there was no way I was coming back without beer. So when I found myself at the Newport Storm brewery (Coastal Extreme Brewing Company to be exact) with the option of either getting a growler of fresh beer or leaving empty handed…well…you can see what happened.

Coastal Extreme’s Winter Ale is one of their seasonal beers. It compliments a Summer Ale (IPA), a Spring Ale (Irish Red) and a Regenschauer Oktoberfest (Marzen Style Lager) quite nicely. As a dark, robust porter it is a really drinkable beer on a cold winter’s night. Their Winter Ale used to be called Blizzard Porter and it’s dedicated to the Blizzard of ’78. For those of you not familiar with this storm, its very worthy of beer dedication.

I really enjoyed this beer (well, technically I have half of the growler left so I will continue to enjoy it this weekend) and find it to be a nice combo of lots of dark roasty malts and a good deal of hops to compliment them perfectly.

The Winter Ale (Blizzard Porter) won a gold medal at the 2005 Great International Beer Festival. Way to go!

Beer Facts:

Name: Winter Ale (a.k.a Blizzard Porter)

Style: Porter

Brewery: Coastal Extreme Brewing Company

Location: