Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Porter
Tadcaster, England

50 cl bottle, Fargo. Deep brown colour, sweet malt aroma with a faint spice. Fairly straightforward and unmemorable flavor, decent but for the price I’d go with others.

Pours pitch black. Smells of wood, malt, burnt carmel. Flavors of coffee, almonds, roasted malts. Sort of bland and uninteresting. Its not that I didnt like this beer, I just think that as far as Porters go, it was ok. I’d really like to try this on tap, I bet it would be a lot better. The bottle I had tasted old and to be honest, stale. It didnt have that refreshing brisk taste that a lot of porters have. Oh well, to each his own.

This was part of a birthday batch that I treated myself to. The large black bottle has an old-fashioned looking label that simply says "England" to you. I didn’t care for the gold wrapper on the neck and cap, whch seemed a little pretentious. The beer looked wonderful in the glass, with a foamy, light brown head that lingered well. The body beneath was a solid black to my eye. Aroma was sweet (not sugary) and quite rich. The flavor was smoky and bittersweet, with some light coffee and licorice traces. The balance between the bitter and the sweet was just about perfect. The palate was fine and carbonation adequate, with neither bloatiness nor wateriness. It was surprisingly smooth for such a strong beer, and I got no nastiness in the tail. The kick was substantial, of course, though not overwhelming. This is simply an excellent beer in every way. It isn’t cheap--$4.20 for the pint-plus bottle-but it is worth every penny and more. If you see it--get it.

nice roasted smell. The flavour is like a lite porter. The colour is a reddish black. another good brew by sam smith!

Bottled (BB 03/2009)
Very dark ruby color, good creamy beige head. Dark roasted malts and fruits, tar, kind of barley wine-cellary nose. Dark malts and tar in the flavor. Medium-bodied. Short roasted finish.

Smells of roasted barley and chocolate. Pours deep brown with red highlights. Brilliant tan head. Full flavor, roasted tones, coffee, chocolate, sweet caramel finish. Runs through the mouth like candy. Overall highly complex and spot on. My favorite porter.

Pours a rich brown color with a light brown, thick head. It’s dark enough that not much light gets through, but it’s not black. It has a bit of a dark fruit aroma with a hint of chocolate. The flavor starts out a bit tart but finishes with a rich cocoa and coffee flavor. The ending flavor is very dry. A fairly good beer, but the initial taste throws me off a little bit.

I wrestled in my sleep the other night dreaming of Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter. I’d seen it everywhere but have never taken the time to try it out, so eventually the cravings and curiosity soaked into my sub conscious. That’s how I knew that this beer was destiny. With my experience with SS’ Nut Brown, I learned that SS brewing is more simple by nature which was no different in their Taddy Porter. If you expect simple and classic, you’ll receive greatness. What you’ll get is that dark malt flavor that’s always a winner, with an easy to consume sweetness provided by the the brew’s cane sugar. It’s a solid beer in the porter family.