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Porter Masters
With our beer-divining rod as a guide, we discovered the tastiest of porters.* Then the bartender ported us into a cab.
Stuff,
1/6/2004
By Stuff Editors
Samuel Smith the Famous Taddy Porter
The quintessential porter: pitch-black with great head. Its roasted flavor is smooth and easy, and it has faint tastes of molasses and figs. At five percent alcohol by volume, this will leave you upright longer. Pair it with bacon and eggs for a great hangover breakfast; pair it with five more porters for a great morning!
Fuller’s London Porter
Fuller’s boasts hints of charcoal, caramel and molasses that go nicely with raw oysters or can serve as a base in meat stews. With 5.4 percent alcohol and plenty of smoky flavors in the finish, this brew is as refined as an evening spent smoking a pipe—but without the absurdity of actually puffing on a pipe. (We smoke only from hookahs.)
Rogue Mocha Porter
This beer is fairly bitter with a strong aroma. Some charred flavors and a hint of chocolate (produced by the malts) make this a great match for, uh, dark chocolates. And at 5.3 percent alcohol, it makes for a great drinkable dessert—provided you didn’t also drink your appetizers and dinner. (It’s your own fault for getting your jaw broken.)
Sierra Nevada Porter
This is an exemplary American porter, with a balance of citric bitterness and sweetness, as well as 5.6 percent alcohol. Its dry, roasted finish complements grilled foods and smoked meats. Imagine drinking this beer at 8 A.M. with a bagel, cream cheese, salmon, tomato and onions. Yeah, it’s tough for us to, too—we never wake up before noon.
Redhook Blackhook Porter
A solid porter that weighs in at 5.23 percent alcohol, it has loads of mocha and burned-sugar flavors. It also has a somewhat bittersweet finish and is reminiscent of sweet iced coffee, black. First-time porter drinkers can quaff this alone or with vanilla ice cream for a porter float. (Ha! Newbies will try anything!)
*Seamus, Randy’s Helpful Irish Uncle, says: “When me t’roat is feelin’ unloved, lads, ’tis the porter I’m after. It’s a cousin to the stout, you see, but it’s bolder and more bitter, like me wife. That’s because it’s made with black malts and loads of hops. Why, I’m havin’ another pint just now! And turn on the telly! It’s Sligo vs. Clare in hurling!”
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