Michelob Porter

Brewed by Anheuser-Busch InBev
Style: Porter
St. Louis, Missouri USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

A dark pour from 12 oz bottle. Dark. Very dark. Listening closely I hear wheezy breathing and the sounds of machines… A deep voice whispers. “Onslow… Come to the DARK SIDE…” Criminy, all wanted was a beer that didn’t suck. I didn’t think I was putting myself at risk of becoming some macro-brew zombie, wandering the earth the eat the flesh of the pure, true, elect and golden micro brew swillers….

Ok - got that out of my system - pleasant dark brew. Aroma of toasted malt. Sweet and toasted malts (both) at the start of the swallow, slightly sweet, a reasonable smack of hoppy bitterness on the back of the end at the very end of the swallow, modulated by the somewhat sweet malts. Not bad. Not distinctive for a porter. The way I see it, though, is that I can pull into almost any backwater gas station C-Store and walk out with this or some other Michelob product. They may not be the best of the genre but at least you can walk out of the store with something that does not suck.

Bottle. Pours crimson brown with a medium tan head. Aroma is malty with hints of chocolate and some hops. Watery and malty with some chocolate and coffee notes. A hint of hop bitterness in the finish. Drinkable. Deep reddish/black colour with mediumsized brown bubbly head. Aroma is chocolate, malts and some slight hops. Flavour is malts, chocolate and coffee along with some slight hoppy bitterness. Rather tasteful and drinkable beer, which leaves a big dark chocolate aftertaste.

Poured from bottle into nucleated pint glass. Dark, opaque reddish-brown with medium beige head. Malty sweet with hints of caramel, toffee, coffee, chocolate and lots of residual roasted barley. One of the only Anheuser Busch products I buy. Sure, it’s not quite as rich and complex as some imports and microbrews, but it’s a good, dark, all-malt ale and often about $6/6-pack on sale.

12oz bottle from Pick’s poured into an English Pint. Born on the 349th day of 2009. This one has been in my fridge for a while. Pours a very dark brown, almost black with almost no head. Has a very nice chocolate and coffee aroma. Taste is light sweet and medium bitter. Strong coffee taste. Medium bodied with a thin yet creamy texture. Fizzy carbonation and a long coffee finish. Overall, this is a pretty damn good beer. I’m sure if you kept the beer the same but took off the Michelob name and added the name of Sierra, Stone, FFF, CC, Mikkeller or any other brewery known for good beer it would have a much higher rating.

Enjoyed at my cousin’s house for his son’s 2nd birthday party. When he gave this to me I was a bit hesitant, but he said it wasn’t bad and they do not get many porters in his area. I’d agree, not bad stuff, kinda thin for a porter but still contains those chocolate malts with a bit of coffee.

Bought a six pack on sale for $2.99, couldn’t resist price. Pours dark but clear, with a tan head. Aroma is weak and sweet. Taste is sweet and malty. Palate thins out quickly. Drinkable, but nothing to write home about. You get what you pay for....

Tastes more like a schwarzbier than a real porter, has a too simple flavor to it. Decent for what its worth but could be a lot more malty and not as watery.

12 fl oz bottle from Total Wines & More, Clearwater, FL. On January 22, 2011
Clear dark brown color, big light brown head. Sweet, malty, chocolate, metallic scent, some apples. Sweet, vinous, raissin, chocolate taste. Chocolate aftertaste. Medium thin mouthfeel, low bitterness.

Poured a deep chocolatey-brown with a good-sized tan head. Aromas of coffee and chocolate. Smooth mouthfeel, slightly light, slightly oily. Smooth chocolate flavor with notes of coffee and a slight fruitiness in the finish. A solid brew. Not outstanding, but FAR better than the usual from A-B.