Stone Smoked Porter

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Porter
Escondido, California USA

Bottle. Black pour with a thick tan head. Aroma is roasted with some chocolate, rather nice. Flavor is more of the same, a nice chocolate base with that smoked presence coming through. Very good overall.

Mildly smoky aroma with hints of chocolate... Dark brown in color... Flavor is malty with hints of caramel, smoked malts, dark chocolate and hints of coffee on the palate... Not bad depiction, but I’ve brewed better.

On tap at Stone. Dark brown with brown highlights. Creamy tan head. Sweet chocolaty and bitter coffe nose. Taste is actually refreshing with even mixtures of malt, cocoa, coffee, and even hops. Palate is not overpowering. Like this beer.

Pours dark brown with a significant tan head. The head of the aroma is sweet, but deeper down there are hints of bitter chocolate and smoke (as one would expect). The flavor is creamy bitter chocolate and hops with a slight hint of smoke. The taste is not at all overpowering, and the beer feels very smooth in the mouth. My only real complaint about the flavor of this beer is that it may be a little sweet for my taste.

The first thing that hits you as you open is that trademark Stone hoppiness, wow! I’m not a big hophead so was a little apprehensive. Pours a very nice, deep brown with creamy head. Quite appealing. The smokiness was not apparent at first, but as I sipped the hoppiness gave way to a subtle smoke. I’m not a porter aficionado so I have nothing for comparison. This seems spot on for my tastes though. Not overpowering, very balanced. Tasty roasted malt ending with an almost inconspicuous smokiness. Hops still present but as an "also-ran" that doesn’t intrude. Slightly sweet and simple. Flows a bit thinner over the tongue than I thought. I expected a bit more density, but again I’m not porter savvy. 5.9% makes this a winner for drinkability and would go extremely well at a backyard barbecue. Would make an excellent gateway for those that think craft beer is only about extremes. A pleasure.

22 oz bottle from Ray’s. Pours nearly black with a two-finger tan head that slowly fades to a thin rim. Aroma is an interesting mix of roasted malt, chocolate, spices (oregano?), and of course smoked malt. Flavor is much the same with quite a bit of spiciness and a tiny bit of noticeable hops in the finish. The smokiness is a nice touch and not overpowering at all. The beer tastes like a delicious smoked piece of beef. Nice.

bottle: pours really dark with medium-thin tan head. medium-thin body, but full of well balanced flavor: smoky coffee and chocolate over tones. My first porter and I’m liking it, but aroma is a little disappointingly absent.

Was not sure what I was going to be getting from thsi beer. Is it a porter or a rauchbier? A darkbrown pour that collects into a blacker color in the glass with respectable head. Some seet ness on the nose is overridden by a taste of chocolate and coffee so bitter it is almost burnt. I used this as a replacement for espresso after I had dinner. The palate is thin enough for this to be one of the wide spread releses from stone and is easily enjoyed by most. The bitterness might have been a bit much for some though.