Stone Chipotle Smoked Porter

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Escondido, California USA

Had the privilege of trying this one at the brewery. Didn’t really see all that much difference from the regular smoked porter but it was still good. Maybe more chipotle flavor would make it even better.

On tap at Stone. I loved this beer! Very dark with brown tints when held to the light. Super dense tan head. I got almost no aroma from this glass, which suprized me. Only the tiniest hint of malt. In the mouth the flavostarts super smooth, creamy and light. And then the peppers kick in. Wow. It’s a clean, high, sharp spiciness that really kicks in. It’s NOT for someone who doesn’t like spiciness. The clean spice hotness lingers. The flavors went very well together. It was much better than I expected, and I’d order it again. RERATE: Different batches have widely varying amounts of heat. Taste on April 11 was much more subtle. I actually preferred the spiciness of the other batch. Aging mellows maybe?

On cask at the Stone Bistro.. Pours black with a creamy egg shell colored head.. Aroma was hickory, smoke and beef jerky.. Flavor was smokey and roasty like the original with the spicyness coming at the end that burns the throat just a tad.. Good but I prefer the vanilla bean out of all the different variations.

GLASS: Mug TEMP: Approx 45 degrees Served from a Stone 1L Growler Aquired via trade This pours a dark copper/amber color. It’s slightly murky looking. A very thin, tan colored, head forms and quickly recedes. There is not much lacing to speak of. The nose has a big smokiness. Lots of smoked malt notes. Hints of dark chocolates. Nice notes of wood smoke. Hints of char. Very good hint of spicey, smokey peppers. Traces of leather and tobacco. This is bigger and more smoke filled than ’regular’ Stone Smoked Porter. The smoke level is boosted, almost to the level of Schlenkerla. Good presence of smoked maltiness and campfire smoke. Lots of leather notes. Smoked pepper (chipotle) notes are very nice. The finish is smooth and mildly dry. Then the pepper heat kicks in. It’s really more of an aftertaste, but it’s really good and not easily overlooked. It’s enough heat to make you reach for another drink, to cool it down. The heat builds with each successive swallow, until you’ve got a nice level of burning going on your throat.....and yet, you still want more. Full-bodied, but with a mild level of carbonation that makes it seem thin. It would really benefit from a slight boost here. Smooth, but seriously lacking in creaminess. The heat build-up could certainly be a bit too much for some people, I’d think. I like it, though. I’d love for Stone to put out something like this on a semi-regular basis. Very good.

I really liked this beer and was able to have it on tap at thier brewery. Surprisngly the chiptole really added some nice kick to it. I prefer this version over the normal smoked porter.

Smokier than I remember the original being, hard to say though. Mild spiciness to the aroma. Pours dark with a small amber head. Flavor is smoky, a little salty, roasty, with a nice spice in the finish. I’ve had some really bad chile beers, but this one ain’t bad. Nice and thick too.

ON tap at the brewery. Same color as the original, dark brown with a little light brown hea. Aroma was again similar but with some peppery notes. Aroma wwas a little too faint. Flavor was balanced with a solid, but not forceful, amount of chipotle flavor. This meshed well with the smokiness of the original beer. Pleasantly surprised.

On tap at the brewery. Very much like the original but with a faint additional smokiness in the background of the flavor. This is recognizable as chipotle after further consideration. A fun beer with a great smooth body,