Want to try a porter.

I'm fairly new to the beer scene and I'm wanting to try different beer styles. I've found buffalo wild wings to be my new favorite restaurant and they have a decent beer selection. I've been wanting to try a porter idea what beer on the list is a porter just by looking at the name and nobody there knows anything about beer. Can someone recommend some good commonly found porters I can try.

 

Sierra Nevada Porter.
Samuel Smith's Old Tadcaster.
Geez, how can I forget Anchor Porter?

I think most porters are named as such. So if it doesn't say "porter" on the menu, it's probably not.
I'm kinda surprised at the lack of popularity of this style, at least locally. I can't think of a bar that has one on tap.

 

Sometimes Porters can be overwhelming if you are not used to the style. I would suggest trying a bock first and easing your way into a porter. All of the porters above though are great porters and are very easy drinking. Tadcaster is still one of my favorites.

 

If they have Fullers London Porter I would try that. Probably the best porter out there IMO. The british invented the style so you can't go wrong starting there. Some micro breweries make them but its probably not as popular here as it is in Europe.

Fullers London Porter (Bottle/Keg) from Fullers - Ratebeer

 

+1 to this. Along with Sierra NEvadas. And they're probably the easiest two to find. I think most Krogers carry the full GL Line

 

I doubt you can get it, but I love Ballast Point's Black Marlin Porter. I've not had many main stream porters though, but the Fullers is a good one and should be attainable at a BevMo or the like.

 

I love Edmund Fitzgerald. Had some on my honeymoon. Hard to find in this state.

 

+1 on Fuller's London Porter.

Smuttynose Robust Porter is one of my favorite, most drinkable porters.

Also, Rogue's Mocha porter is widely available.

 

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald or Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter

 

I've made Munton's hopped kits of Irish Stout and Nut Brown Ale and I find both drinkable but like the Nut Brown better. I'm just looking for something close to the styles but different and thought a porter would be a good choice.

 

I have a special fondness for porters, since my first homebrew was a Brewer's Best Robust Porter kit, and to this day it's still one of my favorite batches. My two favorites that I have tried so far are Fuller's London Porter and Anchor Porter. Sierra Nevada's is also very good. If you're feeling a little adventurous, you might want to try Stone Smoked Porter as well.

 

Another vote for Edmund Fitzgerald. That sh!t is crazy awesome!

 

Boulevard Brewing's Bully Porter is good too.

 

Ska 10 pin porter.

 

I'm a big fan of Black Butte Porter by Deschutes Brewery

 

+1 Bully! Porter is a nice drinkable American porter.

 

I had a Bell's Imperial Porter and thought it was good (I think it was Bell's anyway...).

The Edmund Fitzgerald is great! This thread is making me want a porter! If it weren't bedtime, I'd be hitting the fridge!

 

+1 on Sam Smith Toddy Porter. Mind-blowingly good.

Also +1 on Black Butte Porter from Deschutes. Dark, roasty ... mmmm ...

 

He was asking about porters...I personally have a hard time comparing bocks to porters, these styles are night and day in my opinion. Obviously this is all a matter of opinion/taste...me, I loved porter from the first sip I took no need to ease into it.

+1 on Samuel Smith's...delicious

 

BWW's kicks ass. I love their wing flavors and beer selection. I usually get Sam Adams Boston Lager, Killians Red, or Guiness when I go. They also get some seasonal beers such as pumpkin ale. I've never seen a porter though unfortunately when I go there. I have been drinking a lot of Michelob products especially the Porter to get my bottle collection up for my new found hobby.

 

My standard by which all commercial porters are measured is Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter. Having had Fuller's ESB and Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, though, I have to believe any porter they make would be outstanding.

 

Am I the only one who thinks that Anchor Porter is a bit boring?

 

Otter Creek Stovepipe and Grant's Perfect Porter. Mmmmmm!

 

Admittedly I haven't had one in years, but I don't remember it being boring. In fact that and SN's offering got me going on porters to begin with.
This thread has made this weekend "Rediscover Porters Weekend".
I think I'll start with the 3 I first mentioned.

 

Edmund Fitzgerald is what I consider the best Porter and I style my porter after theirs (I add Chocolate nibs to mine).

 

At our local tavern they serve a nitro coffee porter. Fantastic roasty chocolate and coffee flavors served on nitro, you really can't go wrong.

I'm very interested in this Edmund Fitzgerald. We don't get Great Lakes brews here in Rhode Island, but I'm moving to Connecticut in a week, maybe they'll have them there.

Cheers

 

It may not be the best, but a local store has Dundee Porter for $4.99 a sixer. If you can find it for that price near you, get it. Pretty good representation of a porter and around the same price as BMC.

 

I went shopping for a porter yesterday I can't find any. I first tried Wal-Mart but I didn't expect to find anything and then I went to the liquor store. Apparently nobody in Tell City drinks porters.

 

Buy a stout and imagine yourself drinking a porter. Over the years they have become practically the same thing anyway.

 

I LOVE Fullers London Porter - can't get it in Indianapolis anywhere... Sam Smiths is good, and Anchor is another I love.

Porter's a very different from stouts if you pay attention to the subtleties in taste. My Mudpuddle stout tastes very different than my Sycamore Porter recipe.

 

I didn't say there was no difference. I used the word "practically" for a reason. It's a fact that porter and stout styles have become muddled over the years.

 

Yea most of the porters I have had, around here were more twards the stout.

It might be just me, but if the main taste is black patent, then its a stout.
I guess I would vote for London Porter. (Or the one I made as an experiment 10 years ago but forgot to write down what I did.)

 

Well, I had my Taddy Porter after lunch today. It's just as good as I remember.
I definitely see the parallel to a sweet stout, but to me, it seems like more of the caramel comes out in a good porter.
I'm about to crack Ska Brewing's (my 2nd favorite brewery right now) Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter. Their Ten Pin Porter is awesome, so I expect this to be as good or better. I'll report back.

 

OK. Nefarious is more like a sweet stout to me. With some coffee and caramel notes. And a bit more hops than either style would normally have.
It's delicious. If you can get it, get it.