Quote:
Originally Posted by animal_chin
The two Anchors and the Southern Tier Iniquity interest me.
Anchor - Porter
First off let me start the review by saying this is one of the best porters I have had the privilege of drinking. I happen to be on a malt kick so the list is pretty large.
12 ounce bottle with freshness date marked clearly on back, looks like most of the anchor bottles with the word porter on the bottom half. I was expecting great things from Americas first craft brewery and this porter dates back to 1974. Poured into a pint glass maybe 1/2 inch of head that retained itself fairly well.
Appearance: Almost pitch black, just a tiny bit of light gets through when i give it the ol transparency test. We can call it dark brown to black.
Smell - Dark black malts, A hint of coffee in the background as well as some darker fruits peeking out as well, the beer was served cold so i had to let it warm up a touch to let me aromas really start to come out, one of the best smelling porters ive had the honor to try. Also a hint of sticky molasses and other dark syrups.
Taste: Oh...my...God! This porter is just everything you could ever want in a porter. minimal carbonation, there is noticeably a lot going on in the beer but not enough that your left scratching your head when you sip it. the malt really takes front center, right behind it is a dark fruit taste as well as figs and a hint of chocolate as well. As you drink more of you can start to taste and smell the roasted malts coming through more assertively now. Like i said mostly malty, but there is a nice hop profile in the back round just enough to make it a full circle brew.
Cliffnotes: One of the best US porters i have had the privilege to drink, the drink-ability is off the chart as well as the flavor and aroma. Highly recommended to anybody who likes a good dark porter.