One New York Life

Robust Porter
Brewed By: Smuttynose
Brewed In: Portsmouth, NH
Type: Porter
Awards: GOLD MEDAL WINNER – Porter, 2001 Great American Beer Festival
ABV: 5.7%

What They Say: This hearty, mahogany colored ale is brewed to evoke the dark, full-bodied ales that were a favorite of dockworkers and warehousemen (hence the name “Porter”) in 19th century London. It is a good bet that when Dickens’ Mr. Pickwick sat down for a pint, we would have been drinking an ale much like our Robust Porter.This is a smooth and very drinkable beer, characterized by its well-balanced malt and hops, plus subtle notes of coffee and chocolate.

Website: Excellent website. I’m generally put-off by 3-column layouts because I think they look too crowded, but the Smuttynose front page has enough mix of images and text to make it work. If I have one complaint it’s that the beer stuff and the dog adoption stuff should be “above the fold” because it’s more important to me than filler text which, generally, no one reads. People tend to scan webpages to pick out images, links, and headlines and usually ignore standard text. As such, the center column with the blurb about the company is probably wasted. But, for the most part, well done site. Extra points for the Brewer’s Notes blog and the Tavern blog.

Why I Picked It: Since I decided I wanted a stout in my growler (kinky), I went with a six pack of porter. I was contemplating just getting a second growler because they had a new Sixpoint, but decided to knock another Smuttynose off my list.

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Presentation (5): Smuttynose always gets 3 automatic bonus points on presentation. They get 2 points because their seal mascot is so damn adorable. They get an extra 1 point because at every Smuttynose tasting I’ve attended, their rep Dan Henry is one of the friendliest dudes I’ve ever met. The “Robust Porter” has a picture of a circus strongman holding a barrel under one arm and a dancer in the other. In the lower right is a picture of an old dog wearing clown costume. I guess the strongman is “robust”? I don’t love Smuttynose packaging but, to their credit, I know a Smuttynose box and bottle when I see it across a room, so they grudgingly do get the job done. 4

Originality (5): It’s a basic porter, so the originality would take a hit if it wasn’t winning awards back in a pre-9/11 world. This is another case where it’s tough to rate originality based on the time frame since I was still sucking down Busch Light in 2001 or, when I felt like an upgrade, Killian’s. Since I don’t remember a huge number of Porters sitting on supermarket shelves back in those dark days (and not a whole lot of things involving chocolate or coffee) I’ll give it a bonus. 3

Body (10): It’s a porter, through and through. Gentle, almost non-existent carbonation with almost no taste until the malt hits the back of your tongue. Definitely a full-bodied, dare I say, robust porter combining the best parts of an English dark ale with the best parts of what’s become the trademarks of an American craft porter. 7

Taste (10): As tends to be the case with porters, the initial flavor is pretty weak with the real kick coming in the aftertaste when the bitter notes of the coffee and chocolate hit your tongue at the same time. Deductions for the taste hanging around on the back of your tongue indefinitely. I don’t mind a beer sitting on my tongue for a little while, but having to eat a clove of garlic to get it to go away is not good. 7

Efficiency (10): As a Robust porter, it’s not something one could pound, but a reasonably hefty ABV combined with a good, forgiving flavor ups its efficiency. The cost of six is not any higher than your average microbrew sixpack. All told, it’s as efficient as one can ask for in a standard-priced sixer. 10

Versatility (10): The same thing that helps the beer’s efficiency hurts the versatility. You’re not drinking this beer quickly. If you do, you’ll feel like you ate a meal and will be tired. This is a perfect “sit around and watch a football game” or “have a beer with your steak” beer and not much else. Best consumed in the opposite of mass-quantities. 3

Final Grade: 34 (of 50) – Good Beer.

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