Bell’s Porter

A clean, well-crafted interpretation of the style, Bell’s Porter is a highly quaffable brew that is a great introduction to the world of porters. Its deep brown color and thick, creamy tan-colored head are spot on, and when held to the light, flashes of garnet dance along the edge of the glass. As is fitting of a porter, the aroma shows glimmerings of black licorice, bitter chocolate, toffee and black cherry, topped off with a smooth fresh-roasted coffee note. Rick and Lee both praised the hints of licorice in the nose, while Tim and Pete commented on the subtle black cherry notes. There was a faintly herbal hop aroma, but it was somewhat lower than expected for the style. The flavor starts off rather sweet and creamy but evolves into a broadly roasted, coffee-accented beer with just enough hop bitterness to offset the caramel/toffee sweetness. A liberal hand with dark and crystal malts contributes to the flavor’s overall complexity, with ample notes of espresso bean and a hint of lush caramel sweetness. It walks a very fine line among the competing sweetness, bitterness and acidity, and presents as a finely balanced porter. Yet another commendable offering from the folks at Bell’s.