I’m In Love With a Beer
As a craft beer lover, how many times are you asked, “What’s your favorite beer?” It’s an impossible question to answer. The best beer I’ve ever had is usually something I’ll never have again, and my regular pint may not be my favorite but the most regularly accessible. There is one aspect of the question that I can answer, and that is my favorite style of beer. I love porters.
Porters are hard to find today. Heading to my local grocery store which has a large selection of beer, I can’t find a single bomber of porter on the wall. In the 6-packs I might find three, maybe four, while it seems every brewery features an IPA or a pale ale.
I can understand why. Porter isn’t sexy, like an IPA, or it’s amped up brother, the Imperial IPA. Loaded with hops and with drop dead looks in a glass, those beers are the leading the way in terms of trends. A porter also doesn’t have what a stout has. A stout is rough on the edges, a man’s man’s beer. Want to brew it bigger, age it in bourbon barrels, a stout is up to the task.
Instead, a porter is more of an everyday beer. Rich and full of flavor, a porter does its job like the blanket you have draped over the back of the couch in winter. Do you brag about that blanket? Invite people over to use it? But there’s a reason it’s left somewhere so readily available, it’s reliable.
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’m in perfect porter weather. Damp, cool, overcast winters beg for a pint of porter. Locally, Anchor brews possibly the best example of the style in the United States. Not to be left behind, San Francisco’s Speakeasy also brews a tasty version for more modern beer drinkers that has shown a versatility, whether it’s aged in a wine barrel or with coffee beans.
It’s a style that welcomes the addition of creative flavors. Alaskan and Stone both brew smoked porter which standout from the pack, while Maui Brewing mixes in toasted coconut.
While American brewers are making the porter style their own, it all goes back to the city of London. Fuller’s is the original London Porter, but the use of English malts make them stand on their own among the world of porters. Others from the British Isle which I prefer are Sam Smith’s Taddy Porter and Meantime’s London Porter.
As I look out the window at the intermittent rain falling across Sonoma County, I debate a trip to Russian River Brewing for a taste of their porter or simply heading home where a bottle of Ballast Point’s Black Marlin awaits.
Productivity continues to wane as I’m a man with porter on the brain. Nothing new to offer, just wanted to share my passion for the porter. Do you love the muddy brown ales as much as I do, or does your taste lie with a different style?
10 Comments to “I’m In Love With a Beer”
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And for those of us on the east coast, Captain Lawrence out of NY makes a great Smoked Porter (not as smoky as Alaskan, but more refined than Stone’s). Smuttynose makes a Robust Porter that is highly regarded.
My current beer of choice is actually Deschutes Black Butte Porter. A nice toasty and full bodied flavor, without too much hops. My next home brew is going to start with a clone recipe of this beer. Love It!
I love Black Butte and forgot to mention it in my haste. One of the first porters I got to know well. Sierra Nevada as well.
Rogue’s Mocha Porter was one that I really liked, but after 4 consecutive times drinking Rogue led me to wake with a migraine headache, I have given up on their products across the board.
I’d say that my favorite style is stout, specifically imperial stouts. Old Rasputin is a favorite (I owe this to Mario’s suggestion). I recently got my hands on Dogfish Head’s “Bitches Brew.” The name is a bit uncomfortable when the waitress delivers the beer, but it’s a damn good beer.
I agree with you that Anchor make one of the very best porters. Around here in the Mid-Atlantic/Near Midwest we really love our Edmund Fitzgerald Porter from Great Lakes Brewing. You can’t go wrong in this snowy weather with an Ed Fitz.
Taddy Porter was my first love. I picked it up on a whim when I didn’t feel like miller, and have never looked back. It changed my whole perspective on drinking beer, and life in general. Sounds like an exaggeration, but I questioned why I am settling for cheap when I could actually ENJOY things! Hooray for porters!
Porters were my darling back in 2008 – I was unprepared for the San Francisco wintertime and the dark, roasty nature just warmed me up.
It’s a little hefty, but I really love Speakeasy’s Payback Porter. I’m from the midwest, so I agree 100% with ChasBock’s comment about the Edmund Fitzgerald – a shame we can’t get any of the Great Lakes brews out this way.
I had a Vanilla Porter from Breckenridge over the holidays, and I was a huge fan. It wasn’t as sweet as I had anticipated and went down ever-so-smoothly.
Oh, and much love to the Alaskan Smoked Porter. Smoked beers are strange to get into, but I would love to see more people trying their hand at them.
Beautiful piece on a beautiful beer style, Mario.
The porter is a great seasonal companion here and many places in the country.
Splitting a small bottle between us at dinner over a roast is a good thing.
Black Butte is one of the best porters I’ve ever had..I generally find the style boring but that beer is a true gem
[...] I love about smoked porters, aside from being porters, is that they are incredibly complex without the need beat you over the head with alcohol. Next [...]