Snake Bite Porter

I’ve seen paler stouts; this sucker’s opaque. After that, the thick, rich aromas of bittersweet chocolate cake, coffee grounds and a bit of prune are no surprise. But the first mouthful is. Sure, it’s bitter—I expect that given the Oregon pedigree—but it’s light and bitter. There’s a lightly clingy edge of malt, but it really flies around in the mouth. Easy to drink—if you like it bitter and a bit roasty/ashy—and at only 5.5 percent, you could easily drink a few.
- Lew Bryson

With the recent proliferation of imperial, “extreme” and flavored and barrel-aged porters, it’s kind of nice to come across one with no pretensions of being anything more than a basic, well-crafted beer. That’s where deep, dark ale comes in, with a softly smoky aroma carrying just a whiff of coffee and figs, and a gentle, mildly sweet mocha-ish body. The finish jars a bit with a burnt quality, but generally this is a fine ale that feels no need to scream its attributes from the rooftop.
- Stephen Beaumont

Lew Bryson
Lew Bryson writes about beer and whiskey from his home in southeast Pennsylvania. He has a family and two dogs. That’s all you need to know.

Stephen Beaumont
Once described as “beerdom’s Brillat-Savarin,” Stephen Beaumont is the author of five books and countless articles on beer, spirits, food, travel and how it all goes together.