Considering Porters are not really my style, I decided to get adventurous and try the offering from Sierra Nevada. Sierra’s Porter, not to be confused with their Exporter, comes in at pleasant 5.6% ABV in a short 12oz bottle. I’ve had plenty of their brews before, so hopefully this is just as good.

Assuming the darkest of dark, I was surprised to see that the beer poured a dark brown but allowed some light to filter through. The head on the beer was very mild, just pushing one finger of frothy, light tanned head. Quite typically, the Porter reminded me of many of the others in the style I’ve had.

The aromas that came from the brew are deep, rich, dark chocolate malts and coffee beans. It’s very inviting and reminded me of walking into a fresh coffee brewhouse. The Porter is accented with a hint of caramel and some roasted toffee, similar to that of a mocha-coffee blended drink.

The taste upfront has a bitter coffee roast note with dried cocoa. The coffee flavor is the predominant one that shines through while the roast has a nice bite of hops to finish off the mouthful. It’s a nice complexity of flavors on your palate and is very easy to drink, especially if you are not used to the strong bold flavors that are usually found in Porters.

The Sierra Nevada Porter is a great sessionable beer with a thinner than normal body. The back-end tasted a little more watery than what I would like but I think that’s what help makes it so drinkable. This one is a solid choice, though nothing earth shattering or out of the norm. If you have the opportunity, pick this one up to try, but don’t expect a unique Porter-taste.

Overall: 8/10

Title photo from: Flickr