Old Leghumper Robust Porter
Brewery: Thirsty Dog Brewing Company
Where: Akron, Ohio
Beer: Old Leghumper Robust Porter
Style: American Porter
IBU: 24
ABV: 6.7%
Today's sample is another beer from Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron, Ohio. The Old Leghumper Robust Porter caught my eye on the shelf of the World Market in Mooresville on my last visit, so I grabbed a bottle. From the bottle:
This robust porter is dark brown in color and full bodied with a malty sweet taste. Deep roasted, yet silky smooth! Two types of roasted malts, including roasted chocolate malt give this beer its award winning flavor.
This porter does have an excellent roasted flavor that headlines the malty sweetness. Compared to other beers of this style, I think this one is average with no particular qualities that make it stand out. It's a good beer for sure...
Sierra Nevada Porter
Here we are once again with another excellent beer that is readily available in most places. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Porter has a nice medium body with a very smooth finish and the traditional malty flavor of roasted barley. The Goldings and Willamette hops keep the IBU of this brew at about 40 for an excellent balance of bitterness.
One of the very first things I decided I didn't like about this beer before I even opened the bottle was the color of the label. I know it has nothing to do with what's inside and I was planning to comment about this in my post here. Luckily, I stopped by the Sierra Nevada website before writing this post where I got a chance to see that they have changed the label to a darker brown that seems to fit well with the porter theme. Oh well... there goes my rant ;) I have been buying mixed six packs of beers I want to try from a place called The World Market. One of my unfortunate discoveries about this certain convenience is that some of the beers they have available as individuals are near or out of date. I have been trying to pay attention to that when I'm shopping there, but some beers don't have expiration dates on their bottles.
I might make a trip to Gail's Hops and Grapes tomorrow afternoon and pick up a couple more samples of some top shelf beers. My current inventory of assorted stuff is starting to run low...
Samuel Adams Honey Porter
I still have a couple samples left from a mixed Samuel Adams Brewmaster's Collection, so I decided to pop the top on a Honey Porter this afternoon since it's rainy and not particularly pleasant outside. As you can see in the photo, this beer has a nice thick head and the rich dark color you would expect from a porter. From the website:
Samuel Adams Honey Porter is a full-flavored, full-bodied English porter with a substantial roasted malt character, offering a smooth, rounded finish. This beer is brewed with traditional English Ale hops and is dry-hopped with East Kent Goldings, known for their spicy aroma and distinctive, earthy flavor. We brew Honey Porter with Scottish heather honey which balances the spiciness of the hops.
This brew is the perfect complement to glazed ham, spicy chili, and roasted vegetables like beets and carrots, which bring out the herbal notes found in the hops and the sweetness of the honey. Samuel Adams® Honey Porter also pairs well with rich desserts such as baklava and molasses cookies.
As I have said before, Samuel Adams beers (Boston Brewing Company) are some of the few really good beers that you can usually find in your local grocery stores...
Stone Smoked Porter
No... My glass didn't shrink... I picked up a bomber of Stone Brewing's (Escondido, San Diego County, California) Smoked Porter from Gail's Hops and Grapes this afternoon. Thanks to a recommendation from David Shirley, I decided to give the Stone stuff a try. I had seen it but hadn't tried it before. So... I put on "Momentary Lapse of Reason" and popped the top on this one while I'm sitting around this afternoon doing nothing else...
From the bottle:
Stone Smoked Porter: Deep mahogany around the edges and approaching pitch black in the center. Mysterious, smoky and edging on decadent. Connivingly complex. Excellent with cheesecake and other rich desserts. And pretty damn good with a PB&J sandwich.
You'll find a seamless meld of subtlety rich chocolate, subdued coffee and light smoky undertones in this polished ebony gem. Delve a layer deeper and you'll discover hints of licorice, dark fruit and perhaps even caramel (hmmm, maybe that's the dessert talking...)
This beer rings up at 5.9% ABV and 53 IBU. The punch provided by the Columbus and Mt. Hood hops is excellent. I might try a couple more of the Stone beers when the opportunity presents itself. The Arrogant Double Bastard Ale will probably be my next choice of the Stone brews... Click the link... How could I possibly pass this one up?
Rogue Mocha Porter
OK folks... I'm giving up a secret today. I lost my virginity! I had never tried a Rogue Ale of any sort until this afternoon. I had a bottle of the Rogue Ale Mocha Porter from a mixed six-pack from the World Market. It was a delicious meal in a glass...
From the website:
Rogue Ales are made with the finest hops and barley malt, free range
coastal water and Pacman top fermenting proprietary yeast. Preservative,
additives, chemicals: Never! Rogue does not pasteurize its products.
That sorta makes me wanna hug a tree :) I'm definitely adding the Rogue collection to my 'to-do' list in the future. They have quite a few brews on their list that I want to try...
