Sierra Nevada Imperial Smoked Porter

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: Smoked
Chico, California USA

on tap Ginger Man NYC Pours black with thin head. Smokey chocolate aroma, light meatiness. Smokey coffee flavour with some bitter baker’s chocolate towards the finish. Good balance.

Tap at Taco Mac Metropolis. Black, little head. Aroma was a very nice blend of smoky notes with a solid roasty backbone. Flavor matched, with a faint note of bacon present. Good stuff, the smoke was strong without being overpowering. Very well made, nice to see Sierra Nevada making stuff like this. Just not a huge fan of smoky beers.

On tap at the Flying Saucer in KC. Pours a very deep brown, almost black body with a big, light chocolate brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves a good amount of runny lacing. Aroma is not the big smoked smell I was expecting. Rather faint and subdued smokiness creeps its way into the mixture. Some unsweetened chocolate, lightly charred grains, and a good amount of wood. Some hints of breakfast coffee and licorice as well. Flavor is similar. Very mild. Lots of wood and unsweetened chocolate. More noticeable amount of smoke comes through and grows larger in the finish, but still fairly light. Some coffee and lightly roasted grains come in during the finish as well as a chalky chocolate linger. Semi-sweet malts throughout with no real fruit flavors except for a bit of licorice. Fairly rich with a medium to full body and dry finish. Overall, not a bad porter. I like the creamy, rich flavor, but if they’re going to claim this as an imperial smoked, I want more campfire.

on tap at papago... poured a darker than usual porter color on the brown side instead of burgundy with a one inch tan head which wants to last but the ’stache destroys it. moderate drippy lacing. the nose is full of buttery caramel, roasty grain, charred wood, chocolate, earth and faint mild sweet smoke. the flavor is surprisingly quite woody... with yeasty notes/savory, caramel, roast, grass and a spiced almost bitter finish. alcohol shows up as it warms and the smokiness gets turned up a notch as well. medium bodied. really creamy and smooth yet dry and ashy. nicely balanced mouth feel with a slight chalky texture. it seems... restrained? 7/4/7/4/16/3.8

CASK at O’Brien’s. I was disappointed by a non-imperial beer that didn’t taste particularly smoked. Only a mild grainy alcohol on the nose. Flavor is of their regular porter minus the buttery texture. Smoke is very mild, like the ten-year old bottle of Rogue Smoked I had recently. No chocolate, no coffee, slight roast.

On On tap at Zeno’s Pub - State College, PA. Aroma throws a light dusting of volcanic soil, stained wood, and hickory char. Rustic, but very quiet. Dark black-brown, with a good half-inch of soft, creamy tan soap. Flavor starts off really slowly, with a quiet chalky tone of cream, caramel, and ash. As it warms, the incredibly minimal smoke character evolves as a bit of white ash and not much else. Overly refined. I want much more smoke. That said, the soft, fuzzy porter that lays below is delicate and nice. A good melange of darker flavors and a sweet backing. Crisp. I like the porter, but not the smoke. Finishes clean and lingers in some hop oils. Alcohol way down.

Date: January 26, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Taco Mac, Metropolis
Appearance: opaque dark brown, fine tan head, streaks of drippy lace
Aroma: rich dry chocolate aroma with lots of woody hickory smoke character
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, lots of earthy smoke, touch of peat, just enough sweetness to balance the earthy smoke and bring out the chocolate, long smokey and bitter finish
Overall: a wonderful big smokey porter in league with the big dogs

Date: June 26, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brick store
this beer still kicks ass even on a hot Georgia night sitting by the bottle cooler spitting out waves of heat

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Pint at Zeno’s, State College. Dark brown, light brown head, lasts and laces. Subdued smoke in the nose (no campfire or smoked meats, but some smoke presence), chocolate, and roast. Surprisingly balanced between sweetness and roasted, darker, burnt flavors. Very rich on the palate, quite viscous. Alcohol not apparent in nose or taste. A solid effort.