We couldn’t go two weeks and have a normal show. This week I’m in Seattle, but the show goes on with Sierra Nevada Porter. It felt fitting with me on the west coast.
News
Here is a story out of the great state of North Carolina that shows the dangers of over consumption. The story goes that two men were arguing at a backyard BBQ because one man would not give the other man a beer. The dude who was not getting served decided it would be a good idea to fight the man with the beer. In the fight the man who wanted the beer bit the other guys ear off.
Porters Part 2: American Roots
- Last week we talked a bit about the British roots of the Porter style, but what about those American roots that have helped develop the style into what it is today.
- Thomas Jefferson actually brewed and sold porter, as was the custom at the time. A Mr. Robert Hare of Philadelphia opened a porter brewery in 1776 and although he was driven out for a few years by the British was back at it in 1778 and supplied Hare’s Porter to the Presidential Mansion at the request of President Washington.
- The porter got a little more of an American taste when the German lager craze came through in the mid 1800’s. Many brewers would still brew porters but they would use the lager yeast instead, giving a slightly different flavor.
Sierra Nevada Porter
- I have to say though, not a lot more can be said about Sierra Nevada that we haven’t already said. For a quick refresher, they are a craft/regional brewery located in Chico, California.
- Their rockstar beer is the Pale Ale, which comes in a green labeled bottle, but they have a long line of other fabulous beers as well.
- The Porter, comes in a bottle with a blue label and weighs in at 5.6% ABV.
- It pours a dark brown, but I can still manage to see through it, so not as heavy as a stout. The smell is decidedly on the malty side but there is a hop aroma here as well, just more subtle.
- The taste is sort of lightly like an espresso. What I get more of in this beer, which is really no surprise from sierra Nevada is a hope presence, sort of lightly citrusy.
Next Week
Well next week we will be doing another fan favorite, and by fan I mean me, in Great Lakes’ Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. As with other Great Lakes beers we have talked about this one can be a bit hard to get, so be on the lookout.
Your Next Beer 