Don’t think I’m an alcoholic or anything, but I write most of these beer reviews while sitting by myself in a recliner. You can contemplate a lot in the quiet company of a pint glass, but beer is made for communal consumption, and I really do love talking about it (as if you couldn’t tell). Earlier tonight I attended a beer tasting at the Root Note facilitated by Kendall Staggs, a genuine “beer historian” with a charming passion for fermented beverages and a day job as a UW-La Crosse history professor. The theme for the evening was porters, which originated as working class English ales, but our dozen selections came from all over the world and showcased the many permutations of the style. Sitting in a roundtable fashion with platters of cheese and bread to cleanse the palette, our small group sipped beers and discussed their attributes, and before long there was much discourse and merriment. After drinking 12 porters it’s hard to pick a favorite — or even differentiate the taste — but I did take good notes on the second beer we sampled, the very fine Smuttynose Robust Porter.

The beer pours a rich ebony color that’s almost crimson when held to the light, with a frothy brown head that has excellent lacing and retention. The aroma is clean with hops at the front of the nose, but there’s still a nicely roasted malt smell, almost like a stout. (I realize that statement is kind of contradictory, but that’s what my notes say.) The hoppy bitterness, unusual in a porter, continues into the first sip. It has some dark-roasted coffee-like flavors — “robust” is a good adjective — but it’s still a quenching beer and the drinkability is high. And while I forgot to write about the mouthfeel, it was probably medium-bodied. Other fine beers sampled this evening were Tommy’s Porter from Lake Louie, The Edmund Fitzgerald Porter from Great Lakes Brewing Company, Whole Stein from the Viking Brewery and the London Porter from Meantime, which was only recently exported to America. I may review some of these beers — those that can be purchased in La Crosse — in a future issue. As for the rest, I’ll just keep raving about them to my friends.