First impressions: And a good day to you, guv'nah.In my taste buds' younger days, I had a difficult time distinguishing between porters and stouts. You know the general terms: They're dark, viscous, and supposedly contain tastes of coffee and chocolate. Stouts just seemed to fit those characteristics a little more.
As my taste buds have passed through adolescence, a semester at taste bud community college, and a nasty breakup with cucumbers, I have come to appreciate the subtle differences in dark beers. And Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter highlights many of those best traits in the breed.
The Taddy Porter is a grown-up porter, dressed up in the sophisticated richness of its stout brothers. It carries the same quality of thickness that mid-stouts demonstrate, and tasted best on the back of the tongue. With that said, it avoids the sheer leaden heft of many stouts and is surprisingly drinkable with pace.
If stouts are the spells to cast against the coldest of winter's evil, the Taddy Porter is the vernacular of late fall, spoken in the weeks before we are prepared for the coming intemperate battle. Sipping it while insisting "It's not that cold yet" might just make you believe your claim.
Order a Pint: Yes
Buy a Six-Pack: Yes
Stock by the Case: If porter's your thing
Rating: 4.5 kegs out of 5
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