Written by I’ve tried a few beers from Southern Tier Brewery, most recently their Jah-Va Coffee Stout, but I’ve also checked out the Southern Tier Krampus and Pumking as well. I really wasn’t even aware that Southern Tier made ‘regular’ beers until I saw this package of Southern Tier Porter on the shelf!
What? 12oz bottles? Not Imperial? Southern Tier? Needless to say, I was a shock.
One of the things I mentioned in all three of the Southern Tier Imperial reviews is that I wished treir beers were just a little lower ABV. The flavors of the Pumking and Jah-Va in particular were fabulous, but the alcohol came through a bit too strong in the taste for my liking. Still, they got 3-star reviews which really isn’t too shabby. So, here we have a non-imperial beer from Southern Tier and a style that I like!
For starters, this 5.2% ABV American Porter pours a clear, but very dark brown color. With the aid of my halogen desk lamp, I can almost see through this beer which is usually unusual. It created an above-average sized foamy light-brown head that is partially my fault from an overzealous pour! As the head dies down, there is a decent amount of lacing left on the glass.
Southern Tier Porter has a familiar, and not surprising smell to it. Mostly sweet malt, but a decent amount of chocolate and a little coffee is in there too. I’m liking the smell. If you don’t like porters that are smoky as some American porters seem to be – you’ll like this one from Southern Tier. No smokiness!
Taste is pretty close to the smell, but there is some more hops apparent in the flavor than in the smell which you can hardly notice really. It smells malty and sweet, and for the most part it tastes malty and sweet too, but there’s a little hop bite especially toward the finish where it also leaves off a little bitter too. I think the hops in this beer were just right, you notice them in the flavor but they don’t steal the show. Nice harmony there.
This porter is a little more watery than I would have liked, but it was OK I guess because it was still a very drinkable beer. Its got a low carbonation factor and the mild hops and practically non-existent alcohol flavor make this a smooth beer.
Overall, this is a good beer that does a lot of things right, and I’ll certainly have no problems finishing off the rest of the pack! Still, its not overly interesting either, and I doubt it will be something that I reminisce about with myself in the future, but I did enjoy this bee a little more than its higher ABV Southern Tier siblings.
So, if you like porters, and especially if you like porters that aren’t big on the smoke thing, you might want to check out the Southern Tier Porter.
Good beer. Rating: 
What’s your favorite American Porter? Ever try the Southern Tier porter or any of their other ‘regular’ beers? What did you think about it?
I’ll definitely keep my eye out for this one. I really enjoy porters and don’t always want really strong flavors. This sounds like a great choice to keep on hand when you want a little something but aren’t up for something intense. Does that make sense???
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Kale Casserole =-.
Nice review Scott. I hate watery Porters, so I’m very glad you put that point in your review. I had one about a week ago from Big Sky Brewing called Bobo’s Robust Porter that sounds a lot like this one. It did all the right things, but the mouthfeel was like water, which I compare to having runny eggs, something is just not right. It is very important to me that the mouthfeel on a porter is correct, because if it isn’t there isn’t enough in the mix to make it worth having in my opinion. Since you didn’t comment on my review before I’ll give you the link. Here you go. http://beerandwhiskeybros.com/2010/02/02/what-makes-a-great-city-aaahh-i-mean-porter/#more-1054
.-= Don´s last blog ..Hot Ticket: Brooklyn Brewmaster vs. a Top Chef =-.
@Rachel, I think I could have done the whole review in one sentence if I said what you said in your comment! I’d agree, with your assessment. Nice porter that’s good and isn’t trying to be something it isn’t. I could see this as a ‘go to’ type of beer that’s always around when you don’t want to think too hard about having a decent beer!
@Don – Nice comparison to runny eggs. It was a bit watery, but it wouldn’t stop me from having it again in the future. The taste was pretty good and so I think it compensated for the body.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Jah-Va Coffee Stout – Southern Tier Brewing Company =-.
12oz, huh! I thought Southern Tier was all 22oz bottle. I can’t say I’ve noticed this one on the shelves before. I’ll have to look out for it, huge fan of porters.
.-= Simply Beer´s last blog ..Fred Dexheimer vs Garrett Oliver – Cru Vs Brew – A Fundraiser for Haiti =-.
@SimplyBeer, I was just as surprised, but sure enough hey have a ‘regular’ line of beers including an IPA and a Raspberry Porter that I might try!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..George Washington – Beer Lover =-.