Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter

BOTTLE: Pours a dark brown, foamy head. Aroma of fermented grapes and ripe dark fruit. Taste is the same with a dry finish.

Sampled at the Sam Smith tasting at Blacklick Wine and Spirits on 2.5.09. Dark brown pour with a medium tan head. Malty nose that is somewhat roasty. Flavor of roasted malt and coffee with a medium finish. Decent porter.

Pours with a large fluffy, light brown head and a black body. Good lace left behind. Aroma is vinous for what I was expecting. Notes of chocolate brownie, nuttiness, mocha and Swiss Miss powder. Taste is light roast and nutty with vanilla and a little bit of a vinous note and chocolate fudge on the finish. Water like mouthfeel with a slightly metallic finish. Light carbonation.

It’s fizzier than I like, but this deep brown beer has a very enjoyable rich chocolate flavour with smoke and roast. I find it perhaps a bit overrated, but enjoyable enough on its own merits anyway.

Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of British beer so I’ll get that out of the way first. Nose full of coffee, heavy smoke, toast, and char. Deep deep brown color standard of any porter with a mouth full of smoke, light hops, char, and mild chocolate notes. Not a huge fan, but I appreciate the style. Just think that the smoke dominates the palette and crowds out some otherwise desirable flavors.

In short: A little creamy fruity and chocolaty porter that feels big and heavy. Very satisfying
How: Bottle 550ml, consumed relatively fresh 3 months after purchase.
The look: Black body topped by a small but persistent tan head
In long: Nose of dark malts, some dark fruits concentrate and black liquorice. Full body, creamy and almost sticky with a relatively low roastiness level. Taste mixes, chocolate cake, black liquorice, fresh dark fruits and black coffee. A little tar sensation. A little chocolaty sweetness. Big and nourishing. I’ve had many 9% stout/porters that felt less heavy than this one. A little tobacco leaves in the finish. This is a solid porter. Those English dudes are weird, they drive on the wrong side of the streets, they get into fights at soccer games without even being drunk and they have a macro-brewery that makes fine beer. They just can’t do anything like everybody else.

Bottle in London. Dark body. Nose of coffee, malt, chocolate. Similar tastes. Very smooth and enjoyable.

Very nice Porter...Very dark and intense flavor...another winner from the fine brewery..Enjoy