Anchor Porter

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Porter
San Francisco, California USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

Wow. A sumptuous porter that simply knocked me out.

A great porter - rich and creamy, even though it has a slightly oily mouthfeel. You want coffee? You got it - tons of it. Lots of depth of flavor. Did I mention I really like this porter?

lovely pure chocolat aroma’s, deep dark colour, nice foam, and a lovely taste, a little bitter aftertaste.

A satisfyingly rich, complex porter. Firm, creamy body with chocolate and fruit (subtle banana character) in the aroma and flavor; nice bitter hop/sweet malt balance mid-palate; mild alcohol warmth in the finish followed by a host of flavors in the aftertaste: coffee, molasses, yeasty dark bread, and a pleasant hop bitterness. Best to let this linger and let the aftertastes develop before taking another swig.

I find this to be the second best tasting porter. It has a great lacing, and it has a very distinctive aroma. If you like a malty bitter flavor , this is a must.

Combined impressions, tap and bottle. My Kryptonite. Beer looks good and black, with a small tan head that will remain for most of your drink (on tap) though I poured it a little aggressively from the bottle and received a good inch and a half of creamy Anchor Porter foam for my efforts. Smells delightfully roasted but not burnt in the same way a properly seared steak doesn’t taste burnt. There is an elusive hint in the flavor here that I just can’t put my finger on, but it happens to be my favorite note. It could be raisins, or plums or some other mildly sweet and fruity taste with a satisfying toasted aspect to it. Smooth. Not Heineken smooth, which means shallow white bread, but rather immaculately balanced with subtle complexities smooth. Touch of chocolate, touch of coffee. Alcohol is obvious but not distracting in any way--another note to be relished. Mild dryness is nice, not distracting. Mouthfeel is medium thickness, not at all watery, but not syrup by any means. It fits. I think it just might be a little bit bolder on tap, and the flavor might be oh-so-slightly subdued after a sit in the bottle, but if so, it’s still a pretty close call. Maybe I seem gushy, but this is a good beer that I do not forsee growing past. Goes exceptionally well with hearty food, like a burger, fajitas, chili would be nice... Be careful that you don’t drink more than you planned.

UPDATED: APR 13, 2007 April, FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!! 2007!- Re-Rate. <P> Aroma is stewed raisins, cocoa, chocolate and black licorice. Huge fluffy mocha colored head. Very frothy and lasting. Black body. This beer is just damn close to perfect. Black licorice, cocoa, anise, roast malt and a deceptive alcohol kick. It’s just farking awesome. That is all there is to it. <P> August 21 2006 re-comment <P> Still a freaking benchmark for the style though this time it seemed to have more raisin notes to it. It’s still the freaking bomb as porter goes and it is still pushing the boundaries of the style after all this time. <P> June 12 2006 re-rate <P> Aroma is rich chocolate, brown sugar, raisin and maple syrup. Body is black and holds a slowly diminishing, two finger thick mocha head. Fore is stewed raisins, maple syrup, burnt malts and burnt bitterness. Has a baltic porter feel to it flavor wise. Mouthfeel is perfect for the style. Finishes like a liquid blast of rum raisin bread and chocolate tinged coffee. <P> original rating was 4.

I chose Anchor Porter as my 100th rating as this is a beer close to my heart... one in which all porters seem to fail in comparison. Pours a deep, blackberry/red-brown with a large, tan, souffle of a head that falls slowly and softly leaving excellent lacing. Heavy malt aromas are dark chocolate and dark fruits, with a light alcohol presence. The full-bodied flavor balances bitter coffee and semi-sweet chocolate, leaving a light tingle of alcohol to dry the mouth... which causes you to open another...

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