Anchor Brewing, Anchor Porter

I know I'm still taking a lot of time in between posts, but in my defense it is the holiday season and I'm busy shopping, eating, celebrating birthdays, etc, etc. I've stocked up on some solid beers so I should be churning out more posts more frequently now. On a positive note the Binny's by my house has finally joined the 21st century and decided to start selling a "creat your own six pack" option which is great news for this blog because it means I will be able to try a greater variety of beers instead of having to buy one sixer at a time.

Today's beer, Anchor Porter, is one that I've been really excited to drink all week. Anchor is a classic brewery in the world of American Craft Beer, and while I'd still consider myself new to them I have tried enough of their beers to know they when it comes to beer, Anchor doesn't mess around.

This beer pours a very dark brown, almost black color. I noticed the head parfaited a little bit with about a finger of tan and white colored head. The head lasted as a prominent film throughout the tasting. There was a heavy amount of lacing on the glass.

Anchor Porter had a very sweet scent. It smelled like chocolate with a tiny hint of roast as I continued to smell it. The sweetness was accompanied by a smooth and pleasant maltiness.

The first taste of this beer was incredibly smooth. The sweetness from the smell translated beautifully into the taste. The sweetness from the malt was the predominant taste in this beer but as you near the end of the taste the roastiness from the chocolate malt surfaces. This is a subtle bite about midway through the taste that gives the beer some bite to counteract the sweetness.

This beer had a medium body, as well as a lot of carbonation. When I swished it around, I got a little bit of chewiness but it lasted briefly. This beer had a sweet aftertaste with a hint of roast that balanced out the sweetness very nicely, and didn't linger very long. It's hard to say a porter is crisp but this beer had a very strong flavor, yet didn't overwhelm the palette. It was an incredibly easy to drink porter. Anyone who is skeptical of dark beer should definitely give this beer a whirl, because it's not your average run-of-the-mill porter.

Overall I would have to say that this is one of the best porters I have had in my short time as a craft beer enthusiast. It was very easy to drink, and I really liked how the sweetness and the bitterness from the chocolate malt and hops balanced each other out almost perfectly. This is a beer I will be telling everyone to at least try once. As for me, I've found a new favorite beer.