This is my first top five list. I'm not really sure how this is going to go, but I have had enough people ask me what the best beer to go for in a particular style is, and I don't always have the answer right at the tip of my tongue. This may not work out, and I may have to expand it to a top 10, but I'm at least going to make the effort this time around. Also, this is only going to include beers that I have reviewed on the site, so your favorite might not be on the list.
The reason I'm starting with a porter is that I have always said that very little is as good as a well-sorted porter. I still stand by that statement, despite the fact that, upon review, there are no 5.0/5 porters on my list. There are some that come close, and those are definitely going to be on this list, but I was actually kind of surprised that I haven't run into one that has made it all the way to the top.
The beer is delicious. The sweetness, the peanut butter, and the delicious roasted malt result in a beer that surprises. Sure, Revolution makes some good beers, but topping the list right off the bat? It's a pleasure to drink from a brewery that manages to be available in pretty much every city I've been to and usually in their gas stations.
2: Anchor Porter - I don't believe you can get this anymore. I originally reviewed this in 2014, nine years before the brewery wound up shutting down. I hope that some aspiring brewery has managed to get the recipes for some of their delicious beer, and I hope they can produce this one. This is the best porter that I have reviewed the did not have something added to it, and (spoiler alert) the next one isn't going to be a straight porter. As a result, this one stands alone as the sole porter that has made it to 4.75/5 on my scale. It is an impressive feat, and it is an impressive beer.
3: Lexington "Kentucky Bourbon Barrel" Cocoa Porter - This one hasn't just been modified with cocoa. Instead, this one also has been aged in bourbon barrels. After some unsuccessful attempts at trying beers that had been aged in liquor barrels before, I would not have expected them to become one of my favorite kinds of beer, but here we are. Boosting the ABV to 8.0%, the bourbon barrels bring wood and dark liquor that are able to merge with the chocolate in a fantastic way. This may be third on the list, but it could easily be first.
4: Burial "Ulfberht" Baltic Porter - I think this is the only beer that I had tried from Burial at the time. I have since had a second, and it was pretty mid. This 7.8% ABV beer is, apparently, the style of beer that they would brew in the Baltics. Mind you, this one came from North Carolina. I recall this one having a lot of flavors packed into a simple beverage and a very dense and organized way. It didn't say that it was barrel aged, but the high ABV and notes of oak led me to believe that it was entirely possible that it had been. Either way, this was an excellent beer.
5: Flat 12 Bierwerks' "Pogue's Run" Porter - This is another brewery that I believe I've only had one beer from. Maybe they are a one trick pony. If they are, it's a pretty good trick. At 5.5% ABV, I don't question that it's not something from a barrel, and the most unfortunate thing about the review I wrote was that I had no good camera or skill to use a camera when taking its picture. The only skill involved in the review was that of the brewery having produced this sublime beer that reminded me a bit of a good brown ale.
That's my first Top 5. I plan to make a few more of these, and I hope this is helpful to someone out there. As for me, I might just revisit this last the next time I'm in a beer store to see if I can revisit the best I've had.
2: Anchor Porter - I don't believe you can get this anymore. I originally reviewed this in 2014, nine years before the brewery wound up shutting down. I hope that some aspiring brewery has managed to get the recipes for some of their delicious beer, and I hope they can produce this one. This is the best porter that I have reviewed the did not have something added to it, and (spoiler alert) the next one isn't going to be a straight porter. As a result, this one stands alone as the sole porter that has made it to 4.75/5 on my scale. It is an impressive feat, and it is an impressive beer.
3: Lexington "Kentucky Bourbon Barrel" Cocoa Porter - This one hasn't just been modified with cocoa. Instead, this one also has been aged in bourbon barrels. After some unsuccessful attempts at trying beers that had been aged in liquor barrels before, I would not have expected them to become one of my favorite kinds of beer, but here we are. Boosting the ABV to 8.0%, the bourbon barrels bring wood and dark liquor that are able to merge with the chocolate in a fantastic way. This may be third on the list, but it could easily be first.
4: Burial "Ulfberht" Baltic Porter - I think this is the only beer that I had tried from Burial at the time. I have since had a second, and it was pretty mid. This 7.8% ABV beer is, apparently, the style of beer that they would brew in the Baltics. Mind you, this one came from North Carolina. I recall this one having a lot of flavors packed into a simple beverage and a very dense and organized way. It didn't say that it was barrel aged, but the high ABV and notes of oak led me to believe that it was entirely possible that it had been. Either way, this was an excellent beer.
5: Flat 12 Bierwerks' "Pogue's Run" Porter - This is another brewery that I believe I've only had one beer from. Maybe they are a one trick pony. If they are, it's a pretty good trick. At 5.5% ABV, I don't question that it's not something from a barrel, and the most unfortunate thing about the review I wrote was that I had no good camera or skill to use a camera when taking its picture. The only skill involved in the review was that of the brewery having produced this sublime beer that reminded me a bit of a good brown ale.
