Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans

I ordered a glass of Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans while on The Beer Circle PA tour at Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a black color with a frothy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of smoke, vanilla, chocolate, and toasted malts. The taste is smooth with a strong vanilla presence and a light smoke background that gets stronger as it lingers. Balancing out all of the flavors is a peppery finish derived from the hops. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. The addition of vanilla beans to this beer really made it smooth drinking, but it did not eliminate the strong smoke presence. I loved how the smoke intensified as it it lingered in the mouth, and I would drink this again.

Brouwerij Van Viven Smoked Porter

In my May shipment from the Michael Jackson Rare Beer of the Month club, I received a bottle of Brouwerij Van Viven Smoked Porter. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. The aroma is filled with smoke and also smells of wood, bbq, meat, chocolate, toasted malts, and caramel. The taste is dry and smoky with a dark Belgian chocolate base that makes the beer dry. A light caramel sweetness arrives before toasted malts, wood, and pepper spice up the finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. There was a wonderful smoke content in this beer, making it an overly delicious beer. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite smoked beer that I have had, but it was pretty darn close.

Captain Lawrence Pleasantville Smoked Porter

My buddy Tim picked me up a growler of Captain Lawrence Pleasantville Smoked Porter from the brewery. The beer pours a black color with a beautiful, frothy, tan colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. When I say the head looked beautiful, I cannot under-state that. The aroma consists of full of smoke, bacon, chocolate, caramel, and toasted malts. The taste is dry and smoky with a perfect touch of campfire, hints of bacon, and a solid toasted malts base. There is a great chocolate backbone to support this beer, and a touch of vanilla on the finish. The alcohol content is 6.4% ABV. The beer puts smoke into the focus, and is not over done in any way. It is similar to sitting in front of a campfire, and it also brings back great memories.

Alaskan Smoked Porter

My fiancee ordered a bottle of Alaskan Smoked Porter to share with me, and I gladly obliged. The beer pours a dark brown color with a bubbly tan head that leaves a faint amount of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of chocolate, roasted malts charcoal, smoke, and a hint of vanilla. The taste is smooth and chocolaty at first with a good helping of toasted malts. And then the smoke settles in. This is a well smoked beer without over smoking the tongue. It lingers on top of the tongue and tastes like a charcoal barbecue. The after taste has a hint of oak and vanilla. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I absolutely loved this beer with its wonderful balance of sweetness and smokiness. It is not overly smoked, but what smoke is in it, lingers and reminds you of a summer barbecue.

Stone Smoked Porter

Another beer I ordered when at Brewhouse in Camp Hill was the Stone Smoked Porter. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin filmy head. It smells oaky and nutty. The taste is smoky with lots of toasted malts. There is a light chocolate accent and a good hop bite, but mild enough not to overpower, on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I liked the Smoked Porter very much, as the smoky flavor really complimented the sweet chocolate flavors. Every beer I try from Stone makes me like them more and more.