Porters, Stouts

[MTBMaven]

This being the Pub board and all I thought I would share thoughts on my recent obsession with Porters and Stouts.

My beer background may help you understand where I'm coming from. I don't know as much about what causes flavors in beer like I do for wine so I will go by my impressions rather than any real knowledge of the subject. I traditionally like ales: red, amber, nut, soba, cream (Boddingtons). I hate IPA, Lagers, Pilsners, anything really hoppy or bitter. This is a personal thing, everyone's different. We all have different biological factors going on our mouths, which cause enjoyment of different flavors. If you like what I like then you might enjoy the following.

I have learned that I like really strong coffee and to a slightly lesser extent chocolate flavors in my Porters and Stouts. I also like them to be relatively flat.

Porters:
Craftsman Porter
There is another part to the name of this beer but I can't remember. It was three letter I'm pretty sure. It was on tap only for a short while at The York in Highland Park. AMAZING SH!T. I went back SO looking forward to it and they didn't have it. Talked to the bar keep and it turns out they had a hard time giving it away. If you see a Craftsman Porter around give it a try. Perfection.

Kona Pipeline Porter
This is my favorite Porter right now. I picked up four different Porters at Whole Foods and sampled them all. The Pipeline was my favorite so I got a sixer my next visit. Great coffee flavors from real Kona coffee. Near perfection.

Black Butte Porter
This beer was a recommendation from BrewMaster. WOW. I really like this beer. I will definitely be getting a 6er of this stuff for sure.

Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
Good quality beer but flavors are way too weak for me. Seems watery compared to the Kona or Craftsman. Disappointed.

Stone Smoked Porter
I know Stone has a loyal following and they make good quality beers but I haven't found one I really like. Including the Smoked Porter. The girl at the Yard House hit the nail on the head, it tastes like licking a BBQ grill. A bit extreme I know but the smoked flavor is a bit over powering for me.

Anchor Steam
This beer started it for me. I didn't really know about a Porters until trying this beer at the little brewery near Senior Fish and Little Tokyo. It is on draft there and I really enjoyed it. I recently got a six pack at Cost Plus. Not sure if my tastes have evolved or if it is because it is in the bottle, but I really don't like this Porter now. Seems a little too sharp, maybe too hoppy, too carbonated for me.

Stouts:
Rouge Shakespeare Stout
This is my favorite Stout right now. I love the flavor plain and simple. It is near perfection for me.

North Coast Brewing Co. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
This was a really good stout.

St Peter's Cream Stout
I'm drinking this right now. It's pretty good. Tastes aren't quite as strong as the Rouge and it seems a bit too carbonated or something. A touch too bitter for me. All in all not bad though.

Guinness
I hesitate to put Guinness in this category but I think it belongs. Having had Guinness .25 miles from the brewery it is hard to drink it here. The taste doesn't travel. It is good here but heavenly in Dublin.

Want to try list
Whole Foods has an Old Rasputin Stout from Russian River I want to try. Also it has been years since I had the Young's Chocolate Stout so I think I will give that a try. I see Samuel Smith has an Oatmeal Stout, should give it a try.

Etc.
Rouge Christmas Ale
I love pretty much every Rouge beer I have every tried; however, this one left me disappointed. I didn't finish the 22 ozer. Sad I know. Too bitter for me.

So I've shared my thoughts on my recent tour through Porters and Stouts. Feel free to share your opinions. Thanks for reading.

[bighit8]

I'm not a big fan of stouts. I love bitter beer, th more hops the better.Like you said, a matter of the palate.

[BrewMaster]

Good stuff MTBMaven. I seem to go through phases of different beer styles too. Lately I am loving sour belgian beers. I had my stout phase. I've always loved porters, so I can't really call it a phase.

From the sound of your tastes, you should try Meantime Coffee Porter, Deschutes Black Butte Porter, and Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. I've found the Meantime and Deschutes beers at BevMo and Great Lakes beer are usually available at Walnut Liquorette in Walnut or Lone Hill Liquor in Glendora (210 & 57).

There's a great beer shop near you in Glendale called Red Carpet Wine. Also check out Galco's Old World Grocery on York, just off of the 110.

[katonk]

You won't be disappointed by any of your "want to try" brews. I'll second Deschutes Black Butte, and suggest Stone Imperial Russian Stout. All are available at BevMo and sometimes Pavilions.

[CPATCRASH]

Here's another one. Lagunitas cappuccino stout!

[MTBMaven]

Awesome everyone. Thanks for the recommendations. BrewMaster, I know where all those places except the place in Glendora. I will check all the recommendations out that I can find.

[BrewMaster]

Originally Posted by MTBMaven

Awesome everyone. Thanks for the recommendations. BrewMaster, I know where all those places except the place in Glendora. I will check all the recommendations out that I can find.

If you want it, I have a nice aged bottle of Stone Russian Imperial Stout for you, my treat. I think it is an 05 or 06 bottle. It will feed your habit nicely.

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Originally Posted by bighit8

I'm not a big fan of stouts. I love bitter beer, th more hops the better.Like you said, a matter of the palate.

I tend to agree...I like porters this time of year and occasionally a stout but deep down I'm a hop-head and if you are too then you should be looking at this thread.

But my fave this week is Alesmith Yulesmith Holiday Ale which I picked up at Hi-Time in Newport Beach.

KeepsWhatHappens

[pitmang1]

You know what they say,
If I can see through my pint glass, it's not what I ordered.
You're want to try list is pretty good. Take Brewmaster up on his offer of an aged Stone Russian Imperial. That is a beer that will kick your ass. KWH already mentioned it, but head over to Hi-Time after an Orange County ride and wander around in the beer fridge for a while, they have a ton of stouts and porters. Try this one: Big Bear Black Stout . If you can find the Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada Stouts or Porters, those are pretty good too.

[jasonmason]

Sierra Nevada stout is a really good one, but goos luck finding some down here - for some reason it's really tough to come across...
As far coffee stouts, it's tough to beat Alesmith speedway stout. Imperial Stout brewed with coffee, amazing chocolate and coffee notes; one of my all-time favorite beers.

Give flying dog Gonzo Imperial Porter a try too - about as big as a porter can get, but not overdone and syrupy like some attempts at overdoing porters...
And if you dig stone smoked porter, try Alaskan Smoked Porter. Much less of that "licking a bbq", kinda acrid taste that you get from stone, since they smoke the malt with alder instead of hickory...and it ages well too

[MTBMaven]

Originally Posted by BrewMaster

If you want it, I have a nice aged bottle of Stone Russian Imperial Stout for you, my treat. I think it is an 05 or 06 bottle. It will feed your habit nicely.

Got to figure out how to make that happen. Where abouts are you?

[J_Sims]

Firm believer in the Black Butte Porter, always keep it in the fridge, and when it comes to stouts Samuel Smith Oatmeal is toward the top of my list... Greatplaces to add to your pallet. You might also give smoked porters another shot but roll with Jasonmason's suggestion the Alaskan especially if you can find a 2006 anywhere. oh and if you do find it let me know where so I can go buy the rest of their stock.. I only have one or two left...

[el_d00der1n0]

You know what? I don't know if I've met either that I didn't like.

Love Stone's smoked porter and russian imperial
Bear's
Oggi's Black Magic (getting an early start today )
Red Hook (good luck finding it here)
Young's (OMG)
Rogue (you name it, Shakespeare, etc.)

All good wintertime deliciousness.

[BrewMaster]

Originally Posted by MTBMaven

Got to figure out how to make that happen. Where abouts are you?

I'm in Chino Hills. We can meet up at the next group ride or you can give me a tour of some of your favorite local trails and I'll bring the post ride beer.

[pitmang1]

All this talk about stout got me thirsty. I had to go to the bakery in front of Hi-Time anyway, so I picked up this trio:

I've tried the Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and the Bear Republic, but that one in the middle is a new treat. It is a Norwegian Imperial Stout from Nogne 0. I always like to find new stouts.

[Killa_Bunny]

You can't go wrong with the Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout. All the Sam Smith stuff is good. Winter Welcome ale, yum!

[BrewMaster]

Originally Posted by pitmang1

All this talk about stout got me thirsty. I had to go to the bakery in front of Hi-Time anyway, so I picked up this trio:

I've tried the Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and the Bear Republic, but that one in the middle is a new treat. It is a Norwegian Imperial Stout from Nogne 0. I always like to find new stouts.

Let us know what you think of that Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout.

I've been looking for that to try. Nice to know Hi Time has it.

[bighit8]

Hey check out this place to, a really cool deli in Orange called hollinshead. Great selection, cool owners ( especially if you a packers fan). It is off of Main in between La Veta and Palmyra in the Staples parking lot. There is also a Dukes burgers.It's back in the corner of the lot.