Porter - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico

Sierra Nevada is a brewery I tend to overlook. Around this time last week I would've been able to count the number of Sierra Nevada styles I'd had before on one hand. It seemed like each one was hoppier than the last... The Pale Ale, the Estate Harvest, the Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, the Celebration Ale (08 and 09) and then finally the Bigfoot Barleywine. I didn't care for any of these beers, mostly because I don't dig the super bitter hopped style that made Sierra Nevada famous. Really, it's not you, it's me... I just don't like those styles. Earlier this week I participated in a blind tasting of Sierra Nevada and Left Hand beers. I found most of their seasonal line up to be respectable and I decided to return to their Porter and give it a formal review.

The neck label on this beer is full of spoilers, so if you want to be surprised about what I found in this beer you should skip ahead. Right there on the label is says the Sierra Nevada Porter is a "completely natural beer full of roasted malt." Well, that about sums it up... Just how roasted the malt was threw me off a bit. It's definitely dark roast, nearly coffee grade. This is apparent on the nose and especially when you take a sip.

The Sierra Nevada Porter wasn't anything exciting, it was just a solid Porter. It's dark, roasty, had a hint of coffee and chocolate, was smooth textured and it was around five and a half percent alcohol. It was a bit boring but I'd be happy to drink it while doing something else, either working on a project or just watching TV. It seems destined to be the background music of your evening rather than thing you look forward to when you wake up in the morning. So if you're looking for a decent Porter but aren't ready to have your mind blown, go ahead and pick up a six pack of Sierra Nevada Porter. I can say it's probably my favorite of the Sierra Nevada beers, even if that really isn't a compliment...