Brewers Alley Smoked Porter

Brewed by Brewers Alley Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Porter
Frederick, Maryland USA

A deep red beer with a thin light beige head. The aroma is sweet with light fruity notes - the aroma is a bit light for my liking. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of roasted malt - I don’t really pick up any smoked notes.

(RBSG06, growler) Clear red-cola body with beige head. Aroma is medium sweet, chocolate, cola, smoke. Taste is medium sweet, cola, some chocolate, light smoke. Low carbonation, light-medium body.

Sampled on 7/15/06 at the RBSG ’06 Grand Tasting out of a growler: Pours a clear dark brown with a nicely-lacing wispy light tan head. Aroma of toasty, earthy, dry, lightly smoky malts and some light diacetyl. Body starts with some mild earthy sweetness along with some toasty caramel and green hops with a touch of drier smoke. A decent beer, but I’d like to see more smoke character like Alaskan Smoked Porter.

Draft... Clear, dark garnet ale with a small, frothy, khakihead. The nose is of chocolate, coffee, caramel and smoke. The flavor has good balance (leans just a bit to the sweet side) and carries over all the characteristics of the aroma. Medium to full-bodied and creamy with lively carbonation. Finishes chocolatey, smokey and just a trace burnt.

on tap-pours a light brown head with lots of lacing and reddish brown color. Aroma is mild dark malt-roasty. Taste is dark malt-roasty/peat. Earthy hops. Dry.

Draught, at the brewpub, July 2006. Dark oak colour. Quite light for a porter. Powdery chocolate and roast coffee dominate. Didn’t get much smoke, which lowers the score a bit. Otherwise, respectable middle of the road fare.

Sampled at RBSG 2006- Grand Tasting. Reddish brown cola color with a tan head. The aroma is more coffee than it is smoke. This leaves a bit of a disappointment as the lack of smoke flavor is obvious. Fairly thin body. The beer finishes upon warming with a bit of smokiness if you use your imagination. This is a beer that I’d like to try again when it is not encircled with so many awesome competitors at the table.

On tap at the brewpub on 02/28/2009. Clear reddish brown body with ruby highlights and a small light brown head. Roast, chocolate, and light smoke aroma. Sweet smoke flavor with chocolate adnd roast. Medium full body with moderately low carbonation.