Smoked Porter Review

A little more than a month ago I brewed a Smoked Porter based on a clone recipe for Alaskan Smoked Porter. This type of smoked beer is reputed to age pretty well as the smoke flavors blend with the chocolatey, roasty, coffee tastes. I'll plan to hide away a few bottles to taste from time to time. Of course I'll post the results here.

Appearance: Dark black when poured into a pint glass, with dark brown highlights. Thin tan head that slowly dissipates but sticks to the side of the glass.

Aroma: Subtle hints of smoke. Not like bacon but a little more woody somehow. Mostly it smells like coffee or chocolate.

Where there's smoke there's fire.

Taste: Again, mostly tastes like a pretty normal porter with the complex blend of roasted, coffee and chocolate notes with a bit of smokiness. More smoke in the taste than in the aroma, with lingering smokey aftertaste. Some sweetness as it does not taste like black coffee. Minimal acrid or harsh tastes. It has some bitterness but it blends quite well with the emphasis on the roast quality. 

Mouthfeel: Moderate body and carbonation. Smooth.

Overall: A complex beer with a blend of smoke and roasted malts. Smokiness is subtle but adds to the complexity. Maltiness dominates but some bitterness in the finish. This is definitely on the top end in terms of the quality of my home brew. My wife really likes it too. Better than my previous attempt at the style.

For Next Time: While I really like the complexity of this beer and find that it does not have the undesirable acrid notes of my previous attempt at smoked porter, I was hoping for a more assertive smokiness. So, on the next brew of this style I will up the percentage of smoked malt. The freshness of the racuhmaltz also has something to do with it, since the smokiness deteriorates over time.