Sierra Nevada Porter
5.6% ABV
I tend to a bit of a seasonal drinker with certain beer styles; hefeweizen and pilsner for warm weather, porter and stout for cold weather; and since we've been having summer-like weather lately, I was somewhat less than excited to be doing a porter tasting. But lo! the beer gods have smiled upon me, as today is rainy with temps only in the 50s. Pretty decent porter drinking conditions as far as I'm concerned!
It has literally been well over a decade since I last had a Sierra Nevada Porter, and it seemed a good time to revisit this beer.
The beer pours a beautiful, clear, deep mahogany hue, with a voluminous cream-colored head that slowly falls to a 1/4" thick layer of dense foam. An initial hoppy aroma during the pour becomes roasty, malty, and nutty after settling.
My initial sip tastes of roast coffee, some bittersweet chocolate, and dark malt. The beer is well-attenuated and bittered, faintly sweet up front with a nice, drying finish. It has that clean, Sierra Nevada house yeast character, low in esters. Body is medium, carbonation balanced, and the texture has a smooth, velvety quality. The finish is lengthy and bitter, with roast & hints of chocolate reappearing alternately. I think I'm also catching a faint whisper of citric American hops late. There's some very nice foam sheeting left on the glass.
This is definitely a West Coast, full-throttle interpretation, and I don't know why I've ignored it for so long. I will definitely not wait so long for the next one, and may even try it on a nice, warm, sunny day!
Sierra Nevada Porter
5.6% ABV
I tend to a bit of a seasonal drinker with certain beer styles; hefeweizen and pilsner for warm weather, porter and stout for cold weather; and since we've been having summer-like weather lately, I was somewhat less than excited to be doing a porter tasting. But lo! the beer gods have smiled upon me, as today is rainy with temps only in the 50s. Pretty decent porter drinking conditions as far as I'm concerned!
It has literally been well over a decade since I last had a Sierra Nevada Porter, and it seemed a good time to revisit this beer.
The beer pours a beautiful, clear, deep mahogany hue, with a voluminous cream-colored head that slowly falls to a 1/4" thick layer of dense foam. An initial hoppy aroma during the pour becomes roasty, malty, and nutty after settling.
My initial sip tastes of roast coffee, some bittersweet chocolate, and dark malt. The beer is well-attenuated and bittered, faintly sweet up front with a nice, drying finish. It has that clean, Sierra Nevada house yeast character, low in esters. Body is medium, carbonation balanced, and the texture has a smooth, velvety quality. The finish is lengthy and bitter, with roast & hints of chocolate reappearing alternately. I think I'm also catching a faint whisper of citric American hops late. There's some very nice foam sheeting left on the glass.
This is definitely a West Coast, full-throttle interpretation, and I don't know why I've ignored it for so long. I will definitely not wait so long for the next one, and may even try it on a nice, warm, sunny day!
