Beantown Brews: A Boston Beer Blog

Narragansett Porter

Once again, Narragansett has graciously sent me some of their beer as blog fodder. Thanks Julie!

This time it is Narragansett winter brew – a nice little porter. Here is what I found -

Serving type: Bottle

Appearance: A nearly solid opaque black mass with just a hint of dark ruby coloring around the edges. Small tan head which fades to some nice lacing.

Smell: An interesting mix of roasted, coffee and chocolaty aromas.

Taste: Rich vanilla, roasted and coffee flavors. Roasted flavors are just short of burnt. Sweet – slightly bready – slightly nutty. A bit of roasted and hop bitterness. Slightly acidic.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Adequate carbonation. Finishes dry.

Drinkability: Easy to drink and flavorful. A good companion for winter nights.

Overall grade: B Well worth trying

Gansett Porter is an interesting beer, very different from their lager. There are a lot of flavors competing for your palate’s attention. There is also an interesting bit of acidity in this beer – I believe owing to the use of Summit and Amarillo hops – both fairly citric. The use of citric hops bitterness and chocolaty flavors works well, adding a slight sourness that offsets the sweetness of this beer. Porters tend to be a menagerie of tastes and this is an fair example of what can often be a mysterious and misunderstood style.

I am slightly confused as to the strength of this beer. Gansett reports a strength of 7% on their web site. Beer Advocate reports a strength of 5.4%, which seems more appropriate. Itcertainly doesn’t drink like a 7% beer. If it is, hey – good for you Gansett! You can hardly tell. I would like a bit of clarification on that point.

The darkest thing you've ever seen come out of a Gansett bottle

Gansett says -

“Taste & Enjoy: Gansett Porter offers an extremely approachable craft experience that, unlike many of the other porters on the market, is not overly smoky or bitter. The Narragansett Porter has a deliciously mild chocolate flavor with just a hint of smokiness and hops to balance out the finish.”

I think that is fairly accurate. If you are looking for a nice dark beer with plenty of roast and some good character sans smoke, Gansett Porter is well worth a try. Gansett Porter is available mid-November though February and you can find it in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and, strangely enough, Florida.