Sierra Nevada Porter (5.6%) - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., California, USA

I don't think there's any style of beer I don't like (although I may eat my words when I get round to reviewing the lambic that's been lurking in my beer crate for almost a year) but even though I see no reason why all beer styles can't be enjoyed all year round, I do tend to seek out light, refreshing beers in the summer and leave darker, more wholesome beers to the colder months (which represents about 90% of the British year), leaving porters and stouts to the very darkest depths of winter. So what to do when it's pushing 30 degrees and a box of lovingly pre-selected beers lands on your doorstep containing a porter? Well, just get on with it, of course.

It's worth pointing out first of all to any UK-based readers that Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has been part of the craft beer revolution since 1980. No newcomers are these, then, but veterans that have been bucking the trend long before the UK jumped on the beery bandwagon, and what better brewery to choose for this blog's first American beer review!

The label has the classic-looking design of a beverage you might have found in a Wild Western saloon and the bottle itself is the iconic shape unique to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. As probably the sexiest kind of beer in terms of appearance, there's a certain level of expectation I'm sure everyone has when pouring a porter. Sierra Nevada Porter pours a deep, rich colour that allows only a ruby-treacle light to glow through faintly, crowned by a thick, fluffy off-white head that leaves behind some spectacular lacing.

Sticking your nose into the glass brings rich roasted malt aromas with hints of coffee, with an added freshness from the whole-cone hops. Somehow a creaminess can be picked up through the nose alone, that almost gives the sensation of smelling a milky coffee.

The roasted qualities picked up on the nose are back in full force on the tongue, along with a bitter chocolatey, bittersweet, burnt toffee flavour. There are hints of berries in there too, as well as a unique juicy resinous quality that I'm not used to getting from a porter but that rounds the flavour off marvellously. 


Medium-bodied and creamy but with a dry, crisp finish, this porter has a drinkability that can even be enjoyed at the height of an English summer, and its perfectly balanced flavour and remarkably fresh, hoppy finish will undoubtedly make this a winner for porter fans. Anyone on the garden fence about porters so far, prepare to be shoved off it!

Appearance 5/5
Aroma 3/5
Flavour 4.5/5
Mouthfeel 4/5
Overall 8/10

Session IPA (4.2%) - Fourpure Brewing Co, London, England

One of the best things about being known within your circle of friends and family as a beer obsessive is that people know exactly what to get you for your birthday. Being presented with a large crate of previously unencountered small-batch craft beers does have its problems, though, such as demanding masses of self-restraint. Still, a year older and wiser, I should be able to pace myself sensibly. We'll see how that goes.

London within England

This entry marks the first time I've sampled a small-batch beer out of a can. There's a certain buzz around cans at the moment, widely being trumpeted as having benefits of keeping the beer fresh, fully protecting it against air and light and locking in the flavours of all the lovingly added hops. I've always had more of an appreciation for the bottle-conditioned stuff myself, but I'm up for trying new things and what better brewery to lose my craft beer cannie virginity to than the UK's first brewery to can all their beers from the start?

The can itself has a faint backdrop of the New York skyline, where this particular brew was inspired from. The sides of the can are lined with a malted barley pattern, like some kind of grainy skyscraper.

Session IPA pours a murky golden-amber colour, giving it the appearance of a soup you just want to slurp up. It has a small, bubbling head that leaves a clean glass (a tulip glass, as suggested by them) on its way down.

The aroma is of a wonderful smooth, floral nature with notes of lychee, becoming more pronounced as the beer warms up, which it's well worth giving it the chance to do.

More of those lychee flavours come through in the flavour with a zesty tangerine citrus note to add some bitterness. The big hop flavours complement each other nicely, creating a complex but harmonious character.

With a relatively smooth mouthfeel as you enjoy the fruity lychee qualities, this medium-bodied beer in contrast has a very dry finish which is well suited to it as an IPA, making it crisp and refreshing over all. Extremely quaffable and at 4.2% ABV, Session IPA does a fine job of fulfilling its purpose as an easy-drinking sessionable IPA (and craft-beer-in-a-can virginity taker).


Appearance 3.5/5
Aroma 3.5/5
Flavour 4.5/5
Mouthfeel 4/5
Overall rating 8/10

Frigate Golden Bitter (3.8%) - Irving & Co. Brewers Ltd., Hampshire, England

Somewhere above the overcast skies of my little corner of England summer is upon us and yet I still have obscene numbers of beers left that were given to me for Christmas. Determined to get through them before they reach their best-by date, I valiantly plough through...

Today's offering is from the English coastal city of Portsmouth, Hampshire, and as part of a gift set, ironically bought a short journey away in France (made by eurotunnel on this occasion, not frigate) it came in a weeny 275ml bottle, which I assume (and hope) isn't the norm for this brewery, but for the purposes of a gift set I totally understand the choice of sample size, if it was their choice at all.

The label shows an enormous warship with the backdrop of Portsmouth's iconic Spinnaker tower, seagulls flying overhead in a hazy golden sunset, hinting at the colour of the beer inside. The back of the label suggests being careful to leave the sediment inside the bottle as you pour, but no amount of caution seems to prevent its hazy appearance and anyway, why would you want to? The sediment was kind enough to keep the golden liquid alive in the bottle, the least we can do is let it join the party.

Hampshire within England

The aroma is of a sweet citrusy nature, evoking sweet tangerine segments with some faint honey notes, with only the slightest hint of a grapefruit bitterness that provides a gentle contrast.

Pale and crystal malts battle their way to the frontline of your palate, firing sweet biscuit notes and toasted flavours in every direction to achieve overall dominance. Contrary to its description as a bitter, the surviving hops bring mainly the sweet character of candied citrus fruits, complementing rather than counteracting the malts. Once everything's settled down, some fresh herbal, almost minty notes bring some balance, ending with a black tea note that brings a dry finish to an otherwise smooth mouthfeel.

For a 3.8% beer, Frigate delivers an impressive level of complexity with its interesting combination of Sovereign and Boadicea hops, and a frigate-load of flavour even if it's short-lived from a cruelly small 275ml bottle.

Appearance 4/5
Aroma 4/5
Flavour 4/5
Mouthfeel 3/5
Overall rating 7.5/10