Porter beer brands are still abundant in the beer marketplace despite IPAs taking over the world. In my opinion, porter beer is the best kind of beer there is. I’m a big coffee drinker so that’s probably why I like porters since so many of them have a hint of various coffee flavors in them.
Porters have a strong bold taste, but avoid bitter flavor and this appeals to me too. They look really heavy by appearance, but are definitely lighter tasting than IPAs or Belgian wheats. I’m going to conduct a beer tasting on 5 porter beers that I picked up at my local grocery store. Some are widely distributed so you should be able to find them locally wherever you live in the US.
Another interesting fact about the porter beer market is that you tend to find flavored beers available. If you want a bunch of flavored beer check out drizly here. Now, sometimes this can be a hit and sometimes it can be a major miss, but lets find out what interesting flavors my local grocery store drums up.
You should definitely consider adding porter beers to your drink mix if you haven’t tried them yet and I’ll help you pick out which ones to try. I used to only get porters when I was out at a local bar, but with the pandemic the local bar has come home in our household and that trend is here to stay for us.
1. Historic Brewing Company – Pie Hole Porter (A Cherry Vanilla Porter)
This first purchase is probably the most interesting porter I bought from a marketing perspective. For one, it’s a cherry vanilla flavored porter and secondly, it has a picture of a piece of pie on the label. This one is made in Flagstaff, AZ and has a 5.5% alcohol level.
When I first opened the can I gave the beer a smell. The aroma coming from the package was pretty typical of porter beer. I definitely did not get any cherry or vanilla scents. I was not impressed with the aroma given I was expecting a hint of cherry or vanilla.
Moving on to the beer’s taste, I took a small sip to start out. It tasted like the most generic porter I’ve ever had in my life. No wow factor what so ever. I got no sense of cherry or vanilla in my first swig and this continued as I drank the beer down. I’m not impressed with this first beer and I will give it a big DON’T BUY! The beer has to deliver against how they market themselves to get a buy recommendation from me.
2. Boulder Beer – Shake (A Dark Chocolate Porter)
The second purchase has a very simple label that doesn’t tell me much about the product. By reviewing the label I’ve learned there is an alcohol level of 5.9% and I should expect some dark chocolate flavoring. We have some picturesque mountains on the label with some latitude and longitude coordinates that I presume are the location of the brewery.
The aromas coming from the can delivered against a porter with some chocolate notes so Boulder Beer is passing my first test in terms of the aroma of the beer goes.
When I took the first sip, chocolate notes delivered. A bold taste filled with notes of chocolate overwhelmed my taste buds and there was a rich and creamy texture that won me over. If it isn’t clear, I give this Boulder Beer a BUY rating. I really enjoyed this one and will keep it on my short list for happy hours in the future!
3. Barkley’s Peanut Butter Cup Porter
I may have miss spoke when I said the cherry vanilla porter was the most interesting. This one has peanut butter cups in it, wow! Barkley’s peanut butter cup porter is brewed by Uncle Bear’s Brewery in Gilbert, AZ and it has a 5.4% alcohol level. My taste buds are really curious so let’s give it a try.
Starting out with the aroma, I cracked the beer and gave it a smell. I quickly got the peanut butter cup aroma and it smells really good. This one checks off in terms of delivering against the label expectations.
However, when I took the first sip I almost gagged. It is terrible and it doesn’t really deliver on the peanut butter cup flavor, which I’m amazed at. How can the smell be so on point, but the taste be so off. I don’t know, but this is a big DON’T BUY for Barkley’s. Better luck next time.
4. Breckenridge Brewery – Vanilla Porter
The next one on the trial block is from Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado. A bit more of a classic porter with some vanilla notes. This beer also has a 5.4% alcohol level and comes in a bottle with a label that has mountains all over it. The mountains seem to be a trend with Porter beer brands.
Let’s start with the smell. I cracked the cap and gave it a whiff. I got a more traditional porter smell from this one, but there are some vanilla notes so this one passes the sniff test.
Now for the critical taste test moment. I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised. This beer is very smooth and refreshing and I definitely catch some vanilla flavoring. This is my favorite beer thus far in this tasting bracket. Delicious! This one gets a very strong BUY rating.
5. Black Butte Porter (Chocolate & Coffee)
This last beer is born in Bend, Oregon and also has mountain views on the label. What is with these marketers? The label claims there are rich chocolate and coffee notes with a creamy texture. I’ll be the judge of that.
I opened the bottle and my first impression is right on with an aroma of coffee and chocolate coming from the bottle. I am enjoying the smell of this one and have high hopes for a great taste. The label does claim it is America’s favorite. Let’s see if I agree.
I took a small swig and the beer is definitely smooth and creamy. It strongly delivers on the coffee and cholate notes and is an excellent beer. This is another strong BUY rating from me. I’ve really enjoyed tasting this one.
Summary
This was a fun set of porters to have a beer tasting with. I’ve definitely found a beer or two that I will buy again in the future and that’s truly what I’m looking for with this project so this was a win for me! Let me provide a final ranking from my experience trying all of these new beers. Starting with the best.
1. Breckenridge Brewery – Vanilla Porter – BUY RATING
2. Black Butte Porter – BUY RATING
3. Boulder Beer – Shake – BUY RATING
4. Historic Brewing Pie Hole Porter – DON’T BUY RATING
5. Barkley’s Peanut Butter Cup Porter – DON’T BUY RATING (I actually poured this one out, yuck)
Hope to see you on my next journey!