Just had one of those for the first time tonight.  While I certainly liked it, I thought there was no way to really distinguish this beer from a stout.  Still damn good I might add.

Picking up some more of this tonight! Delicious.

Isn't a porter and a stout more or less the same thing anyways? I was under the impression that the only real difference is a stout typically has a higher % abv?

Isn't a porter and a stout more or less the same thing anyways? I was under the impression that the only real difference is a stout typically has a higher % abv?

If you want to start an argument among beer geeks, just say, "meh, porter, stout, same thing, different name."  Half of them will say you are a blithering idiot who can't tell an American Adjunct Lager from a Helles Bock while the other half will say, "damn right."  Porters and stouts do tend to encroach on the other.  Having said that, porters tend to be slightly less roasty than stouts and their color is not quite as dark (ruby to dark brown vs dark brown to black).  Still, there is a good bit of overlap and much of it is nothing but marketing on the part of the brewer.  If he already has a stout in the line up, there is little point in calling anther beer a stout.  Instead, he can brew something just a shade lighter and call it a porter.  Then, half of his consumers will think he is a brilliant brewer who appreciates the subtlety of difference in the styles and half will think he's a blithering idiot who  can't brew to style.

BTW, traditional stouts are typically fairly low a.b.v. beers (3.5-4%).

Nice to know Have you had Ballast Vicory at Sea by chance? Going to give that a go.. next weekend I think. Doing Karaoke at a friends and going to pick up a few new beers to try.

 

If you want to start an argument among beer geeks, just say, "meh, porter, stout, same thing, different name."  Half of them will say you are a blithering idiot who can't tell an American Adjunct Lager from a Helles Bock while the other half will say, "damn right."  Porters and stouts do tend to encroach on the other.  Having said that, porters tend to be slightly less roasty than stouts and their color is not quite as dark (ruby to dark brown vs dark brown to black).  Still, there is a good bit of overlap and much of it is nothing but marketing on the part of the brewer.  If he already has a stout in the line up, there is little point in calling anther beer a stout.  Instead, he can brew something just a shade lighter and call it a porter.  Then, half of his consumers will think he is a brilliant brewer who appreciates the subtlety of difference in the styles and half will think he's a blithering idiot who  can't brew to style.

 

BTW, traditional stouts are typically fairly low a.b.v. beers (3.5-4%).

I love that you all keep posting photos of Porters and Stouts.  I finally got a six pack of Sierra Nevada Porter.  It's good, but I didn't like it quite as well as the Edmund Fitzgerald or the Yards Love Stout that I had last week and will be buying.

PSA-Great Lakes has Conway's Irish Ale out for St. Patrick's Day, and it's really good.

Having a Victory Pils. Pilsners aren't my favorite. This one is pretty crisp at first, like a Pilsner should be, but leaves something heavy on the tongue, so the finish is unbalanced. It's OK, but I can't imagine the situation where I would buy one again.

I posted this on Facebook last night.

Thank you to my wife.  For Valentine's Day, she picked out a couple of mixed 4 packs for me. I never tell her what to get and love the surprises. One of her selections this time was a Weihenstephaner Korbinian. It's a dopplebock at 7.5% a.b.v.

The beer pours a dark mahogany with barely some hints of ruby peeking through when held to the light. A creamy fizzy tan head dissipates rapidly and leaves no lacing. The nose is all about the malt. Plenty of toffee aromas along with some burnt sugar. No hops at all. Flavor is exactly what you want from a dopplebock. The malt is the star. It's sweet but not overpoweringly so. Brown sugar and toffee flavors with a hint of chocolate. Despite the darker color, I don't get any roastiness in the taste. The alcohol is noticeable and cuts the sweetness as does a mild dosing of hops. Make no mistake though, this is a classic dopplebock and not an American take on the style. Mouthfeel is moderately creamy with medium carbonation and a sweet finish.

Just a terrific brew. It's exactly what you want out of a dopplebock - malty, a bit boozy, not roasted, sweet finish. Perfect example of the style. 

Too many imports endure lousy shipping conditions on their way to the states and end up skunked or oxidized with a metallic off flavor. This one survived the journey in pristine condition. Yay me.

The way you describe this makes it sound fantastic. I might have to see if our local beer store carries it. What kind of glass is that though?

I posted this on Facebook last night.

 

Thank you to my wife.  For Valentine's Day, she picked out a couple of mixed 4 packs for me. I never tell her what to get and love the surprises. One of her selections this time was a Weihenstephaner Korbinian. It's a dopplebock at 7.5% a.b.v.

The beer pours a dark mahogany with barely some hints of ruby peeking through when held to the light. A creamy fizzy tan head dissipates rapidly and leaves no lacing. The nose is all about the malt. Plenty of toffee aromas along with some burnt sugar. No hops at all. Flavor is exactly what you want from a dopplebock. The malt is the star. It's sweet but not overpoweringly so. Brown sugar and toffee flavors with a hint of chocolate. Despite the darker color, I don't get any roastiness in the taste. The alcohol is noticeable and cuts the sweetness as does a mild dosing of hops. Make no mistake though, this is a classic dopplebock and not an American take on the style. Mouthfeel is moderately creamy with medium carbonation and a sweet finish.

Just a terrific brew. It's exactly what you want out of a dopplebock - malty, a bit boozy, not roasted, sweet finish. Perfect example of the style. 

Too many imports endure lousy shipping conditions on their way to the states and end up skunked or oxidized with a metallic off flavor. This one survived the journey in pristine condition. Yay me.