Smuttynose Robust Porter

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Bottle. Pours a deep black body with a medium-sized creamy brown/mocha head and lacing. Killer aroma- oily hops, thick chocolate, oats, and vanilla notes. Tastes quite rich and full for the strength. Very oily and inky with plenty of bitter chocolate creaminess and roast. Finishes green and leafy. Superb complexity.

WOW, this is a sweet beer. This is huge smoky chocolate malts. Big bitterness. I don’t think there is a difference between stouts and porters but this is hugely flavorful, and I think that’s what the difference is. Porters are more bold. This is an imperial stout without the alcohol. Other than Alpha King, I can’t think of another higher rated beer of normal alcohol %. I think this beer is super fresh too.

[bottle] Pours a deep reddish black color, with a thick coffee colored head. Dark, roasted malts with some bitter coffee/chocolate flavors. Nice woody flavors emerge towards the end. A very complex, drinkable beer.

bottle. Fairly black pour with some red hues and a little tan head. Aroma is hoppier than most other porters. Some dense licorice, coffee, chocolate hints are highlighted by the bright, piny hops. The flavor is great as well. There’s a bit of sticky chocolate, mild coffee roast, licorice, all like the aroma. Then the hops come into play: a good use of American style bitterness highlights some of the more tannic notes of the coffee flavors. I like this stuff.
[November 2008]
Bottle best before March 2009. Pours near black with a very small head. This is considerably roasty. Hints of chewy coffee, molasses, and nuts are present. The palate is very hearty and accents the raisins, dark cacao, earth, hickory, and bold malt body. Nips of hops show up here and there. This is very, very good.

on tap-pours a tan head. Color is black with red tint. Aroma is dark malt-chocolate/licorice. Taste is coffee, dark malt-chocolate/licorice, secondary hops bitterness. OK carbonation.

Pours a beautifully opaque near-black with a two-finger tan to light brown head. There is an immediate chocolate and, surprisingly, raspberry nose which relaxes after about half a minute to a nutty, coffee aroma. Definite hop presence. As it warms, burnt toffee prevails. Taste is upfront molasses and coffee with a nice hoppy bitterness. Sweet malt is always present but never shouts. A solid mouthfeel and soft carbonation. The long finish favors bitter over sweet. The head dimishes to a fine layer but never leaves. Smuttynose has nailed a porter with a lot of character that could easily be a session beer. Very well-balanced and thoroughly enjoyable.

dark black pour w/ a thick cream of wheat looking brown head. Well roasted notes, tons of semi sweet chocolate chips lots of malts some light bitter coccoa powders. Palate is well coated, lightly oily and chewy. Flavor is lots of bitter chocolates a good roasty malt flavor and a dry finish. A very nice porter.

Everything you expect in a porter: roasted chocolate and coffee, big on the malt, a little bit of bitterness. Except here it’s all balanced beautifully. Excellent.