# Can we talk about Porters? (A Beer Thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [March 6, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387 "2015-03-06T22:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/41 "2015-03-09T07:48:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Brewed in Utah. Anyone know the %ABV?šŸ˜ƒ According to Beer Advocate it is 4.0% ABV. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/42 "2015-03-09T12:53:06Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > [Polygamy Porter](http://blog.letspour.com/top-unromantic-beers-valentines-day/polygamy-porter-featured/) - Why have just one? > [@kayaker](#): > > Brewed in Utah. Anyone know the %ABV?šŸ˜ƒ > [@Waterman](#): > > According to Beer Advocate it is 4.0% ABV. Yep, 4.0%. Utah is a 3.2 state (ABW, which equates to 4% ABV). All tapped beers in bars and restaurants, and all beers for sale in grocery stores, canā€™t exceed that. Most local breweries brew higher gravity beers for sale at liquor stores or direct from the brewery. Incidentally, Polygamy Porter is one of my go-to dark beers for session drinking or food pairing; I just didnā€™t mention it because it isnā€™t widely available outside Utah. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/43 "2015-03-09T13:14:04Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Yep, 4.0%. Utah is a 3.2 state (ABW, which equates to 4% ABV). All tapped beers in bars and restaurants, and all beers for sale in grocery stores, canā€™t exceed that. Most local breweries brew higher gravity beers for sale at liquor stores or direct from the brewery. > > Incidentally, Polygamy Porter is one of my go-to dark beers for session drinking or food pairing; I just didnā€™t mention it because it isnā€™t widely available outside Utah. Good stuff. Their nitro version is apparently 6%. [http://www.wasatchbeers.com/beers.aspx#polygamy-nitro](http://www.wasatchbeers.com/beers.aspx#polygamy-nitro) Iā€™m not sure how that works wrt the booze laws. Iā€™ve had it at Squatterā€™s Pub in SLC. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/44 "2015-03-09T13:28:13Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Not a fan of high octane beers. If thatā€™s what I want to drink, Iā€™ll have a boilermaker thankyouverymuch. > > Once youā€™re over about 6% alcohol, the appeal goes down for me. Be a real brewer, and get the right balance and a great 4% alcohol beer or less. Utopias isnā€™t really best thought of as a beer, even though it technically is. Itā€™s more like a port or something in that general category than a beer. I had a bottle gifted to me, and itā€™s something you drink maybe 2-3 oz at a time. Itā€™s something you savor, let linger, and take your time with. Itā€™s nice to finish off a meal with. My sweet spot for ABV is more like 5-6% for a session beer. Iā€™ve had a few English ales at around 3.5%, but I typically find them too weak and watery for my tastes. Somewhere around 4-4.2% is about as low as I like to go. That said, it would be nice to have a few more lower alcohol brews on the market, because the high alcohol end of the market is over-saturated. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/45 "2015-03-09T13:29:32Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > Where are you that your are getting Southern Tier Brewery beers? They are probably best known for their IPAs, anyway. My favorite local porter is Cooperstown Brewing Companyā€™s Benchwarmer Porter, although I havenā€™t had it since the brewery changed hands. Might be hard to find, though. Samuel Smith is my usual porter. I donā€™t know where the OP is, but Southern Tier isnā€™t hard to find in Dallas. Itā€™s not at convenience stores or the run-of-the-mill grocery stores, but at beer/liquor stores and upscale grocery stores, itā€™s pretty common. I (well, my wife) have a bomber of their ā€œWarlockā€ stout in the fridge, and I polished off my second ā€œKrampusā€ Imperial Helles from them about a month ago. And Wasatchā€™s Polygamy Porter is kind of in the same boat as Southern Tier- common, but not super-common here in Dallas. The porter is the only Wasatch beer I recall seeing though. I do find it interesting that the Odell products have achieved the absurdly ubiquitous status around here in about a year and a half- now Wal-Mart carries their 90 Shilling, and many gas stations actually carry it as well. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/46 "2015-03-09T13:45:40Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Their nitro version is apparently 6%. [http://www.wasatchbeers.com/beers.aspx#polygamy-nitro](http://www.wasatchbeers.com/beers.aspx#polygamy-nitro) > Iā€™m not sure how that works wrt the booze laws. Iā€™ve had it at Squatterā€™s Pub in SLC. I believe Squatterā€™s Pub (which is like 2 miles from my house) may get some sort of brewpub exemption because they brew it onsite. I really canā€™t parse Utahā€™s alcohol laws; theyā€™re just as Byzantine and senseless as their reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/47 "2015-03-09T15:34:40Z")
Iā€™ve enjoyed Sierra Nevadaā€™s and Anchorā€™s porters (bottles); didnā€™t notice any harshness with the Sierra. Wasnā€™t overly impressed with Yuenglingā€™s offering, although the Black&Tan is my go-to cheap beer from the supermarket. I really liked Fullerā€™s Porter on tap and will actively seek it out in the future. Not happy with the overabundance of chocolate flavor in porters and stouts recentlyā€¦a little is OK but some have bordered on the ridiculous. Also, I get ticked off at trendy bars/gastropubs/etc that have 20 IPAs, three fruit beers and nothing darker than a cheap brown ale. :mad: A couple other porters Iā€™ve had recently that stood out were Cigar City Puppyā€™s Breath Robust Porter (tap) and Smuttynose Robust Porter (bottle). ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/48 "2015-03-09T15:51:17Z")
It appears that there is not a single Saranac porter. The variety they stick in the winter beers sampler package is ā€œMaple Porterā€ but they also make a Caramel Porter and something called a 4059 Porter. Hmm, will have to check those latter two out myself! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/49 "2015-03-09T20:10:38Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > **China Guy** , Iā€™d normally agree with you on full-throttle alcohol beersā€”the bourbon barrel, 13% stuff really needs to go away, IMHOā€”but some of them really, really disguise the EtOH. Have you had [Samischlaus Helles](http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/285/39766/), [Averyā€™s Maharajah](http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30/22352/), or St. Bernardus Abt 12? Any of those is comfortably above 8.5%, and all of them went down like refreshing cider. ā€œThis is delicious! Hey, why am I buzzed already? (Picks up bottle) Holy crap, itā€™s got how much alcohol in it?!ā€ Especially the Samischlaus; I was really expecting another type of experience when I tried it and its darker more traditional cousin the first time Yeah, there are many Belgian styles that donā€™t seem to ever come in under 8% ABV. I love too many of them to forgo them based on their alcohol content. And if I ever see another bottle of Thomas Hardyā€™s, (bottled at 11.7%, with yeast in the bottle , so it only goes up from there, and supposedly matures for years), Iā€™ll buy it up and drink it, and itā€™s purely based on my memory of its taste (ok, getting hammered off a single bottle factors into it, too). Samuel Smithā€™s porter is great, but Iā€™m inclined to think theyā€™re the benchmark of many styles. One thatā€™s produced stateside that I love very much is [Real Aleā€™s Coffee Porter](http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/458/79622/), the coffee compliments the bitter malts. Iā€™ve had many coffee beers that I wasnā€™t fond of, but this one is really balanced and drinkable. Itā€™s not too strong at 5.6% ABV, but my fokloric understanding was that stouts were under 5%, and porters were above that (but yeah, it seems pretty arbitrary). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/50 "2015-03-12T11:03:32Z")
Not worth a new thread, but I tried a kinda cool stout last night. Huy Fong (Sriracha producer) joined with Rogue Ales to produce [a Sriracha Stout.](http://uncrate.com/stuff/rogue-sriracha-stout-beer/) I bought a bomber bottle and had it chilled. I eventually had to buy a second bottle, because everyone wanted a sip. A stout with a kick; I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/51 "2015-03-12T12:09:56Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > My favorite is Bellā€™s Porter, but I canā€™t afford $12 a six-pack. Iā€™ll try the Edmund Fitzgerald. Just wanted to step in and throw in my endorsement for the Edmund Fitzgerald. Very nice. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/52 "2015-03-12T14:51:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Not worth a new thread, but I tried a kinda cool stout last night. Huy Fong (Sriracha producer) joined with Rogue Ales to produce [a Sriracha Stout.](http://uncrate.com/stuff/rogue-sriracha-stout-beer/) > > I bought a bomber bottle and had it chilled. I eventually had to buy a second bottle, because everyone wanted a sip. A stout with a kick; I liked it. CHILLED? :eek: Binghams in the UK do one called Hot Dog Chilli Stout that sounds similar. No idea what kind of chilli they use. I see some nice porters in my local from time to time. The most recent was Black Jack Porter from Flack Manor Brewery. Fullerā€™s London Porter is great when you can find it in cask conditioned form. It seems the Samuel Smithā€™s Taddy Porter is easier to get in the US than it is here, Iā€™ve not seen it in shops in ages. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/53 "2015-03-12T15:07:06Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > CHILLED? :eek: Well, taken off the 74F shelf and taken down to 56 or soā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/54 "2015-03-12T18:20:04Z")
Ah. Cellar temperature. All right, then. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/55 "2015-03-12T21:02:18Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > It appears that there is not a single Saranac porter. The variety they stick in the winter beers sampler package is ā€œMaple Porterā€ but they also make a Caramel Porter and something called a 4059 Porter. Hmm, will have to check those latter two out myself! I bought a 6 of the Saranac Caramel Porter yesterday and it is quite good. I like it as much as the Yuengling though it is a different taste. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/56 "2015-03-12T22:00:11Z")
Well, if stouts are allowed into consideration, [Old Rasputin](http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-rasputin.htm) by North Coast is amazing. Plus, my local store has them at 4x12oz for $7. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/57 "2015-03-14T07:54:30Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Not worth a new thread, but I tried a kinda cool stout last night. Huy Fong (Sriracha producer) joined with Rogue Ales to produce [a Sriracha Stout.](http://uncrate.com/stuff/rogue-sriracha-stout-beer/) > > I bought a bomber bottle and had it chilled. I eventually had to buy a second bottle, because everyone wanted a sip. A stout with a kick; I liked it. I have just started seeing the \*ROGUE Sriracha Hot Stout Beer \* in the stores in my area and I am very curious as to how spicy (hot versus other) it is? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/58 "2015-03-14T08:10:51Z")
> [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](#): > > Well, if stouts are allowed into consideration, [Old Rasputin](http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-rasputin.htm) by North Coast is amazing. Plus, my local store has them at 4x12oz for $7. Yum. **Imperial** stout. That means more alcohol (9%, which is on the lower end of an Imperial). But itā€™s good too. A bar I know had it on draft (16 oz?) for $3.50. Now I think itā€™s $4. Not as cheap as your price, but still bar cheap. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/59 "2015-03-14T10:42:55Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Anyway, Boulevardā€™s Bully Porter from just down the road in Kansas City is not bad. After experimenting with a lot of different beers (I can enjoy an IPA now and again, but I donā€™t feel the love for them overall that many people do) and having thought myself a chocolate or oatmeal stout guy for a few years, for about the past five years Iā€™ve settled on this exact beer as my go-to. Yummy stuff, although I canā€™t afford to drink it often. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387/60 "2015-03-14T11:46:07Z")
> [@Waterman](#): > > I have just started seeing the \*ROGUE Sriracha Hot Stout Beer \* in the stores in my area and I am very curious as to how spicy (hot versus other) it is? Not all that ā€œhotā€, itā€™s actually kinda subtle. Iā€™m a big fan of Rogueā€™s collaboration and Iā€™d put this one second; right after bacon-maple, but before pretzel-chocolate-raspberry, chocolate-peanut butter-banana, and lemon-chiffon crueller ales. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-porters-a-beer-thread/714387.md?page=4)