Geary's London Porter

Brewery: Geary's Brewing Co.
Location: Portland, ME
Style: Porter
Brewery Website
Rating: B

In my glass today is Geary's London Porter. This porter pours an opaque, deep mahogany color. The head is huge and foamy with a color similar to cola-fizz. The nose has smoke, caramel and some faint herbal hops.

On the palate the Geary's London Porter leads with smokiness which is followed by a touch of acidity. The hops sit well in the background with only a faint bite of note. There is some caramel and a slight warming sensation as well. Geary's London Porter is medium bodied, although it does seem a bit light for a smoky porter. The finish has long, smoky malt notes.

Geary's London Porter is an easy-drinking porter. I do find it to be a bit one-dimensional, and I think the flavor would hold up better to a bigger bodied beer. Despite this, the Geary's Porter is a nice smoky porter to curl up with on a cold winter night.

Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Location: Milton, DE
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B+

Up for review today is Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre. This is a Belgian-style dark ale brewed with raisins. The Raison D'Etre pours dark brown with a hint of ruby. A thick, brownish-tan, foamy head slowly rises. The nose detects juicy and winy notes along with some sweet cereal.

On the palate both wininess and a slightly sweet cereal note come to the forefront. There are notes of brown bread and burnt toast here. The hops take on an herbal character with a touch of bitterness. Oaky/woody notes sit in the background along with raisins. The Raison d'Etre has a moderate-heavy mouthfeel that is nearly syrupy. The finish is off-dry with dark wheat toast being the dominant flavor.

Dogfish Head has a really good beer on their hands with the Raison D'Etre. It drinks similar to an aged barleywine with a bit more burnt/raisin notes and not quite as winy. The raisins here seem to emulate the great raisiny flavor that develops with time on a vintage barleywine (see Thomas Hardy). Similar to aging wine or scotch in small barrels or over oak chips, you get a sneak peek at an aged beverage, but some of the complexity that can only be produced by time is missing. I am very curious to see how this beer ages.

Samuel Adams Boston Ale

Brewery: The Boston Beer Company
Location: Boston, MA
Style: Stock Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A-

In my glass today is the Sam Adams Boston Ale. While the Boston Lager may be Samuel Adams' flagship beer, the Boston Ale is (unfortunately) often overlooked. In my opinion, the Boston Ale is their best year-round offering. The Boston Ale pours a deep amber with hints of brown and gold. The head is golden-tan and frothy with big clumps. The nose detects citrus and herbal hops notes, along with a faint wheaty malt note.

On the palate the Sam Adams Boston Ale has aromatic citrus and floral hops up front, leading into a rich pizza dough/pretzel malt, which then fades to bitter hops notes of pine and juniper. There are also some wine/barleywine notes here and a hint of residual sweetness. The Boston Ale is moderate-to-heavy bodied with a fairly full mouthfeel. The finish has a distinct barleywine character along with bitter hops notes.

The Samuel Adams Boston Ale is a real winner. It is well-balanced, full-flavored and rich. The malt is the real star for me, but there is just the right balance of hops here to hold up to the rich flavor. Next time you go to reach for Sam Adams Boston Lager as "the old standby", do your tastebuds a favor. Reach right next to it and bring home their Boston Ale instead.