Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter
5.0% ABV
Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Yorkshire, England
18.7 oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Reviewed on 12/8/12
This porter pours a dark brown color with a thick, full beige-colored head. Great lacing.
Smell consists of coffee, chocolate, malt, slight hops, slight licorice, some breadiness, some burnt aroma.
Taste has malt, chocolate, coffee, licorice, slight yeast, slight breadiness, mild hops, good pervasive burnt flavor throughout.
Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, nice thickness on the palate. Flavors have excellent balance, all held together by a nice creamy texture.
Overall,
this is a super tasty, quite smooth classic porter. Creamy, consistent profile of flavors that comes across as an almost sessionable mellowness. Nice touches of coffee, chocolate, and malt, with a good porter-like burnt flavor moving from start to finish. An all around excellent porter, and it can be had at a nice price.
My score: 94
Showing posts with label samuel smith's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label samuel smith's. Show all posts
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Review: Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout
Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout
5.0% ABV
Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Yorkshire, England
18.7 oz btl
Served in Samuel Smith nonic pint glass
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 3/3/13
This stout pours a fairly dark brown color with a frothy, bubbly beige head with great retention. Very fizzy and active when poured. Solid lacing.
Smell consists of chocolate, coffee, hot cocoa powder like flavor, malt, hint of vanilla, mild hops.
Taste consists of chocolate (like a chocolate candy bar), malt, coffee, mild vanilla, mild hops.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with some good chocolatey and cocoa like bitterness. Nice balance of flavors. Hint of dryness.
Overall, this is a quite tasty chocolate stout that has a strong chocolatey taste. On the nose and palate, it's like having a liquid candy bar, or breaking open a packet of hot cocoa powder, or taking a tour through a chocolate factory. Nice touches of coffee and vanilla as well. It's a bit of a one trick pony, but it does it well.
My score: 92
5.0% ABV
Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Yorkshire, England
18.7 oz btl
Served in Samuel Smith nonic pint glass
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 3/3/13
This stout pours a fairly dark brown color with a frothy, bubbly beige head with great retention. Very fizzy and active when poured. Solid lacing.
Smell consists of chocolate, coffee, hot cocoa powder like flavor, malt, hint of vanilla, mild hops.
Taste consists of chocolate (like a chocolate candy bar), malt, coffee, mild vanilla, mild hops.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with some good chocolatey and cocoa like bitterness. Nice balance of flavors. Hint of dryness.
Overall, this is a quite tasty chocolate stout that has a strong chocolatey taste. On the nose and palate, it's like having a liquid candy bar, or breaking open a packet of hot cocoa powder, or taking a tour through a chocolate factory. Nice touches of coffee and vanilla as well. It's a bit of a one trick pony, but it does it well.
My score: 92
Monday, February 25, 2013
Review: Samuel Smith's India Ale
Samuel Smith's India Ale
5.0% ABV
Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Yorkshire, England
18.7 oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Reviewed on 1/27/13
This India pale ale pours a pale golden amber color with a frothy bubbly white head that has decent retention. Decent carbonation and lacing.
On the nose, aromas of light hops, malt, floral, citrus, slight lemon, slight sugar, mild herbs.
Taste has hops, malt, wheat, floral, some citrus along the lines of grapefruit and lemon, some sugariness, mild herbs.
Mouthfeel is light, crisp, smooth, with good if mild strands of bitterness and dryness.
Overall, this is a light and crisp tasting pale ale with a decent if mild profile of flavors. Not bold and flavorful like other hoppy IPAs, but still a decent beer, particularly if you're in the mood for something on the milder side. Fairly sessionable.
My score: 88
5.0% ABV
Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Yorkshire, England
18.7 oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Reviewed on 1/27/13
This India pale ale pours a pale golden amber color with a frothy bubbly white head that has decent retention. Decent carbonation and lacing.
On the nose, aromas of light hops, malt, floral, citrus, slight lemon, slight sugar, mild herbs.
Taste has hops, malt, wheat, floral, some citrus along the lines of grapefruit and lemon, some sugariness, mild herbs.
Mouthfeel is light, crisp, smooth, with good if mild strands of bitterness and dryness.
Overall, this is a light and crisp tasting pale ale with a decent if mild profile of flavors. Not bold and flavorful like other hoppy IPAs, but still a decent beer, particularly if you're in the mood for something on the milder side. Fairly sessionable.
My score: 88
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Craft Beer Conversion?
I think sometimes with craft beer, it's tempting to want to win new converts to those great beers you love. The people that you're trying to convert aren't people who don't have an interest in beer but rather those who drink the macro products (Coors, Budweiser, Miller, etc.). You want to show them that, hey, you say you like beer, but try this one, which will blow away what you think about beer and make you see even the blue sky above you in a different way! Maybe this might work in some cases, but in general, I think this is a faulty approach. In fact, I'm not even sure any approach is necessary.
The fact is, many people just like what they're currently drinking and aren't looking to make a change. They find it tasty and refreshing. It's the perfect thing for them at the end of a long day or week. Maybe it's economical for them. Complexities and nuances in flavor might not be anything they're concerned with. There are likely many different reasons. Why not just let them enjoy what they enjoy and you enjoy what you enjoy?
For me, I think the best thing for the craft beer lover is to continually try different beers and gain knowledge about beer. Develop your palate and learn about the various styles, the history of beer, what's going on with contemporary beer, and the process behind making beer even if you don't intend to ever make any yourself. That way, if a conversation turns to beer, you'll be well prepared and represent what you like quite well, and maybe this will help people see craft beer in a different light. In my opinion, being a craft beer ambassador is more important than trying to convert people.
If you're still really bent on converting, I think you have to view getting people to craft beer as a gradual process. If someone has not gone beyond, say, Coors Light, do you think they're going to like a Green Flash Palate Wrecker the first time they have one? If someone's experience with stout begins and ends with Guinness, do you think they'll appreciate a Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout? Consider how you got into craft beer and work from that.
I think the Samuel Adams regular line of beers provides a good gateway into craft (particularly Boston Lager, one of The Classics, all of which are a good starting point), and they're available pretty much everywhere (which may have already laid the groundwork for you--how many non-craft beer drinkers have at least had a Sam Adams?). New Belgium Fat Tire is another good gateway beer too. During the fall season, the various pumpkin beers that are available could serve as nice entries as well, as they combine some familiar flavors with some solid if muted beer tastes.
The fact is, many people just like what they're currently drinking and aren't looking to make a change. They find it tasty and refreshing. It's the perfect thing for them at the end of a long day or week. Maybe it's economical for them. Complexities and nuances in flavor might not be anything they're concerned with. There are likely many different reasons. Why not just let them enjoy what they enjoy and you enjoy what you enjoy?
For me, I think the best thing for the craft beer lover is to continually try different beers and gain knowledge about beer. Develop your palate and learn about the various styles, the history of beer, what's going on with contemporary beer, and the process behind making beer even if you don't intend to ever make any yourself. That way, if a conversation turns to beer, you'll be well prepared and represent what you like quite well, and maybe this will help people see craft beer in a different light. In my opinion, being a craft beer ambassador is more important than trying to convert people.
If you're still really bent on converting, I think you have to view getting people to craft beer as a gradual process. If someone has not gone beyond, say, Coors Light, do you think they're going to like a Green Flash Palate Wrecker the first time they have one? If someone's experience with stout begins and ends with Guinness, do you think they'll appreciate a Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout? Consider how you got into craft beer and work from that.
I think the Samuel Adams regular line of beers provides a good gateway into craft (particularly Boston Lager, one of The Classics, all of which are a good starting point), and they're available pretty much everywhere (which may have already laid the groundwork for you--how many non-craft beer drinkers have at least had a Sam Adams?). New Belgium Fat Tire is another good gateway beer too. During the fall season, the various pumpkin beers that are available could serve as nice entries as well, as they combine some familiar flavors with some solid if muted beer tastes.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Stouts: Beyond St. Patrick's Day and Pints of Guinness
St. Patrick's Day will always exist as a day to get your Irish on, head to your local Irish pub, dine on fish and chips and soda bread and down some pints of Guinness while wall pictures of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett look upon you from the grave and the band at the far end is playing "Danny Boy" to a singalong crowd.
Guinness, the most famous stout in the world, has always been something of a marker. You have one in your hand and you're perhaps making a statement that the standard light-colored lagers are too weak for you. You might get a reaction from someone such as, how can you drink that? If you're drinking on days other than St. Patrick's Day and in places other than Irish pubs, you're definitely setting yourself apart. Some might even say you're on the road to craft beerdom.
There's nothing wrong with a Guinness. It's widely available, quite drinkable with a nice smooth yet somewhat complex taste, and, surprisingly, fairly reasonable in terms of calories. But there's a lot more out there beyond Ireland, and there's a great diversity of substyles and tastes. Here are a few you should be able to find:
Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout
This stout has notes of milk chocolate, coffee, malt, and, to a lesser degree, hops and caramel to the nose. Tasting very much like it smells, with mild but consistent chocolate and coffee, and malt and caramel coming through on the back end. It's fairly balanced and smooth, with good proportioned tastes that aren't overwhelming. Almost like a mellow liqueur.
Guinness, the most famous stout in the world, has always been something of a marker. You have one in your hand and you're perhaps making a statement that the standard light-colored lagers are too weak for you. You might get a reaction from someone such as, how can you drink that? If you're drinking on days other than St. Patrick's Day and in places other than Irish pubs, you're definitely setting yourself apart. Some might even say you're on the road to craft beerdom.
There's nothing wrong with a Guinness. It's widely available, quite drinkable with a nice smooth yet somewhat complex taste, and, surprisingly, fairly reasonable in terms of calories. But there's a lot more out there beyond Ireland, and there's a great diversity of substyles and tastes. Here are a few you should be able to find:
Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout
This stout has notes of milk chocolate, coffee, malt, and, to a lesser degree, hops and caramel to the nose. Tasting very much like it smells, with mild but consistent chocolate and coffee, and malt and caramel coming through on the back end. It's fairly balanced and smooth, with good proportioned tastes that aren't overwhelming. Almost like a mellow liqueur.
Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
Victory Storm King Stout
Storm King has nose notes of hops, malt, coffee, and
caramel. On the palate, you can pick up
hops, coffee, chocolate, some oak, and some mild spice. Even as with a 9% ABV, no alcohol taste comes
through. Quite smooth, with a good
thickness and creamy texture coming through.
One of the best out there for an inexpensive price.Other stouts to seek out: Founders Breakfast Stout, Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Old Dominion Dominion Oak Barrel Stout, Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout. Guinness also makes a Foreign Extra Stout, which is much more tasty and complex than its standard stout. It stacks up well with some of the other stouts mentioned.
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