Let's be clear about one thing: the idea for smoking beers did not come from America's microbrewery revolution. It's actually a style the Germans deserve credit for, since their Rauchbiers (smoked beers) date back hundreds of years. The inspiration for smoked beers stems from the days when kilning, or oven drying, malt was far from a precise science, and smoked from the fires employed towards this end invariably ended up wafting through the malt, adding flavor as it did.

Still, beer drinkers have decided that sometimes they actually like the flavor smoked malt can impart to beer. And why not? Anyone who has ever enjoyed a smoked ham can easily understand why a smoked beer might be equally appealing. Hence, Stone Smoked Porter, one of the better known smoked beers available on the market today.

Stone has been brewing this one since 1996, and my first exposure came from several bottles received from a beer club in April of 1998. Here's what I thought then:

Had I seen this beer on the shelf of my local retailer, the beautiful painted label featuring a fearsome looking gargoyle (who purportedly "wards off modern day evil spirits such as chemical preservatives, additives, & adjuncts" certainly would have caught my attention and enticed me to buy the beer. As it happens, I received three bottles of Stone Smoked Porter from Beer Across America's Big 22 Club, and once again was treated to a great beer from a small brewery outside my area of distribution.

Stone Smoked Porter is a rather intriguing beer. A very dark brown in color with little carbonation, this brew has a big, cake-like nose that reminds one of a Christmas plum pudding. The palate is rich and delicious, replete with subtle roasty notes and hints of raisin and chocolate. There is an underlying sweetness that combines with the subtle peat smokiness and heavy malt body to make this beer seem more of a Scotch Ale than a porter. An alcohol content of 5.9% provides a touch of warmth. Exquisite!

Stone says the beer is still around 5.9% alcohol by volume. It's made with Columbus and Mt. Hood hops and has an impressive 53 IBUs of bitterness, although to my taste the roasted dark malt bitterness is more assertive. It doesn't seem so big as it did in the past, however. Let's crack open a bottle and see, shall we?

Stone Smoked Porter pours to a dark brownish black (but not opaque) color with a light and fizzy, short-lived tan head formation and a nose that packs more chocolate than smoke. I will say that when I popped the cap off of my bottle I did get a very good whiff of peaty smoke aroma, much more so than I get when sticking my nose over my glass.

 

Taking a sip, I get a beer of medium body, perhaps not so hearty as I might expect from your average robust porter. Still, there's too much roasty flavor here for a brown porter, and so the beer falls somewhere in between I think, packed as it is with rich dark chocolate notes and a hint of black coffee. This is, indeed, a very roasty beer, but I'm not getting as much smokiness as I have in the past.

Still, it's there, subtler perhaps but unmistakable in it's earthy peat pungency. Stone Smoked Porter is laced with it's underlying smoke flavor from the first sip right on through to the roasty, hoppy bitter finish. Overall, this is a nicely balanced smoked porter, though I think I'd like just a little more smoke and a bit more body.

The natural comparison is with Alaskan Smoked Porter, and I think this one loses out to that beer. Still, it's always welcome in my beer fridge, and has the virtue of being far more readily available than the latter. At five bucks for a bomber bottle its very reasonably priced, too. If you've never tried a smoked beer before, this is a good place to start. The subtle smoke is enough to arouse the appetite, yet not too much to frighten the novice away.

Highly recommended.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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