I loved things that are smoked, whether it’s fish, beef, or drink. Smoking, or creating the taste of smoking adds a really pleasant element to the food or drink. This is especially true of darker beers, so doing a Smoked Porter just makes sense. While Stone may not be the only brewery doing this, it’s their beer that I have to drink today.

The Stone Smoked Porter pours a very dark, almost black, brown color. It is almost to the point of being black, but not quite there. It pours with about an inch of creamy light brown head that leaves some good lacing on the glass. Right off the bat there is some smoke on the nose along with some caramel and a hint of vanilla; a good smell that I noticed as soon as I opened the bottle.

Once again on the taste as with the nose the smoke comes through first along with the roasted malt (these to flavors really go well together). This is followed up by  some chocolate flavors, but nothing too sweet. Right at the end there is a hint of coffee followed by a the slightest alcohol twinge. It feels a bit thin for a porter, but that doesn’t detract from the complex flavors at all.

The Smoked Porter really came through for me, it would be the perfect beer to have with some good BBQ. The smoke flavors are where you want them and they work well with the other flavors and aren’t overpowering at all. Another good beer from Stone that may seem pretty intimidating but is a well balanced yet complex beer.

Overall: 8.5/10