Smuttynose Robust Porter And Baltic Porter

Two Porters From New Hampshire

Smuttynose Brewing is located in Portsmouth, NH

Smuttynose Brewing Company has been brewing beer since 1994.  A couple of months ago I tried their “Finest Kind” IPA and was very impressed.  So, as the weather begins to cool off  and I’m getting back into my “dark beer” phase, I decided to try their Porters and see if they were as good as I had heard.  The two Porters are Robust Porter (one of their full time beers) and Baltic Porter (part of their Big Beer Series).

Robust Porter

The Robust Porter was very good.  It had all of the things that I look for in a Porter, dark roasted malt, some coffee and chocolate, and a bit of a bite at the end.  I got some Orange flavors in the beer, which might be from the hops.  Good stuff!

Here is the score:

1. Appearance- 8 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 9 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 18 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 8 points (out of 10)

Total 43 (out of 50) Points- A 4 Mug Rating

Baltic Porter

The Baltic Porter was a very pleasant surprise.  I expected a bit more flavor in it than the Robust Porter just because of the higher ABV of 8.7%.  Boy, was I right.  This beer had all the “base” flavors and aromas of the Robust Porter but added a whole other layer of flavor.  There was a nice dark fruit and chocolate liqueur flavor that was fantastic.  As the beer warmed up, it got better and better.  The end result is that this beer is at the top of the “4 mug” rating.  I didn’t give it a 5 mug rating (46-50 points) because I thought the drinkability was hurt a tad by the alcohol.  Still, this is one of the best beers I’ve had.  Try it!

Here is the score:

1. Appearance- 9 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 9 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 19 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 8 points (out of 10)

Total 45 (out of 50) Points- A 4 Mug Rating