Porter beers have a long and sorted history. Originally the poor man’s pint, porter was also the first beer aged directly at the brewery and delivered to the pub fit to drink. Fast forward a few centuries and porter has become one of the most diverse styles of beer available today. From dry to sweet, hoppy to malty, and sessionable to imperial, ithere are endless possibilities when it comes to porter. Last week, New York’s Blind Tiger Ale House celebrated these historical suds with their first “style event” of 2011.

“We will be serving 14 porters on draught! This should prove to be a exceptionally dynamic event – with the porter style represented from breweries around the globe and ABVs all over the map as well. Draft list: Fullers London Porter, Sinebrychoff Porter, Avery New World Porter, Hopfenstark Baltic Porter De L’Ancrier, Nogne Porter, Captain Lawrence Imperial Smoked Porter, Stone Smoked Porter, Victory Baltic Thunder, Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter, J.W. Lees Manchester Star 1884 on Cask, Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, Smuttynose Robust Porter, Founders Porter, Bayerischer Bahnhof Porticus”

We tasted several porters throughout the night, opting to reach for some imported and unique brews and pass on the tried and true staples. For example, instead of reaching for one of my staple beers, Stone Smoked Porter, I had a chance to sample the Captain Lawrence Imperial Smoked Porter. This is the base beer for their Smoke from the Oak series, but the un-aged version easily stood up on its own. The 12% ABV porter was rich and meaty, and we actually preferred this version more than the barrel aged variations, finding it more appropriate for the chaotic bar atmosphere than it’s multi-faceted siblings.

Another fantastic brew was the Baltic Porter De L’Ancrier from Quebec’s Hopfenstark brewery. Hiding its 8% alcohol well, the De L’Ancrier was incredibly dry with a unique tart character uncommon in modern porters. Instead of the big milk chocolate we have become accustomed to, there were apples, raisins and bitter chocolate flavors along with hints of tobacco and ash. Both complex and balanced, the De L’Ancrier was an excellent example of the breath of the porter style. This one is well worth seeking out.

Also notable was the Nogne O Porter. While widely distributed here on the east coast, and available at most better craft beer stores, it is still always a treat to find on tap. Nogne O brews these impeccably cohesive beers… masterfully balancing the malt, hops and yeast. Their porter is no exception. While there are no outlandish flavors or fancy brewing tricks, it is a rock solid, easy drinking, and slightly hoppy (for European standards) porter. For me, there is a certain enjoyment to exceptionally crafted, balanced beers – something I also relish in Hill Farmstead’s beers – and Nogne O are masters and finding that ideal. If you have passed on this beer before, I suggest you pick one up next time you are in the store.

Oh, and there were wings… the Blind Tiger makes awesome wings which go great with porter.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM PORTER NIGHT AT BLIND TIGER ON FLICKR

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Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: unknown
Availability: limited release, draft only
Pairing: caramelized pork chops, wash-rind cheese, vanilla ice cream, cheeescake

Look at that lacing! Lindsay (@icantdrive) enjoys her first sips of Dark Matter

Smell: A massive vanilla-oak barrel aroma hits the nose upfront with lingering hints of dark stone fruits. Raisins, prunes, and black currant are all here along with notes of sweet bourbon.

Taste: There’s an explosion of contrast in the Dark Matter’s flavor palate. Upfront, this beer is delicate with slightly bitter, wooden hints and vanilla notes. Quickly, however, a massive rush of barrel-aged flavors envelope the palate. All of the character of the nose is here — especially the bourbon and raisin ones — mingling with lots of sweet burnt caramel and chocolate malt.

Mouthfeel: A very delicate carbonation hits the tongue at first but finishes with a strong, syrupy coating of the mouth.

Drinkability: This is surprisingly drinkable for such a sweet beer with such rich flavors. Paired with a hearty meal, a few Dark Matters will go down without a second thought. But this beer can also be approached on its own during the last few cold nights of late winter.

Overall: Dark Matter is a strong edition to the Brooklyn Brewery’s Brewmasters Series. While their flagship barrel-aged offering, the Black Ops, is often sought out by Imperial Stout lovers worldwide, it is also one that is best served after a year in the bottle. Dark Matter, however, carries all the richness and complexity of Black Ops in a much more accessible, ready-to-drink brew with a lower ABV. This beer is also a great introduction to barrel-aging for those unfamiliar with the technique. Poorly crafted oak-aged beers can be abrasive and overpowering but the flavors here are balanced and very approachable for even an uninitiated palate. As a solid standby, it will pair nicely with meat-centric dinners and tangy/creamy desserts alike. Overall, Dark Matter is another fine offering from the Brooklyn Brewery.

Dark Matter paired perfectly with cheese offerings from the Bedford Cheese Shop

Brewing Note:
Malt: British Pale Ale, Crystal, Chocolate, Wheat, Belgian Aromatic, Roasted Barley
Hops: Willamette, Cascade, U.S. Fuggle
Yeast: Brooklyn House Ale
Barreling: Four months in a blend of bourbon and rye barrels of differing ages
OG: 18 deg. Plato
ABV: 7.5%

Official Release:

Cosmologists tell us that the universe was made by a massive explosion called the Big Bang. And in this Big Bang was created a material called “dark matter”, which accounts for 95% of the mass of the universe and actually binds the universe together. Well, that sounds pretty heavy. But it’s theoretical. Here in Brooklyn, our cosmology is a bit different.

In the beginning, there was Black Ops. Or perhaps not. Beer does have its mysteries. Anyhow, they say that back in 2007, a small amount of Dark Matter was created alongside Black Ops, but very few people had an opportunity to taste it. The Brooklyn Brewing Team decided that this shortage was unfortunate – plenty of Dark Matter for themselves, but not enough to share with all their friends. So last autumn they decided to recreate Dark Matter and open up the Brooklyn Barrel Room to a wider world. Brooklyn Dark Matter is a robust brown ale aged for four months in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels. Some barrels previously held Black Ops, some hosted The Manhattan Project, others came straight from the distilleries as soon as the whiskey was decanted. We’ve blended these barrels to create a beer full of caramel and chocolate flavors heightened by vanilla-like oak notes and hints of the barrels’ previous tenants. The result is a smooth, rich beer that really loves food, from fried or roasted chicken to char-grilled steak, barbecue, pork chops and even monkfish. And on some chilly evening in late winter, or perhaps the first warm night of spring, we hope that you may be tempted to believe that Dark Matter really does bind the universe together.

– Garrett Oliver

Sharing Brooklyn's Finest with Peter Kennedy (http://www.simplybeer.com)

Style: English Porter
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: unknown
Availability: limited release, draft only
Pairing: oatmeal cookies, braised pork, bbq, funky cheese, Brooklyn Brewery Carbonade

Last night I had a chance to swing by the Brooklyn Brewery for the premier tasting of their latest in the Brewmaster’s Reserve series, Cookie Jar Porter. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver was on hand to discuss the beer and the tasting room flowed freely with some of brewery’s best drafts: Cookie Jar Porter, Monster ’07, Manhattan Project (a personal favorite), Blast, Brooklyner Weiss and more. The Cookie Jar Porter was paired with the brew’s inspiration, Oatmeal cookies from Feed Your Soul Bakery, as well as select cheese from the Bedford Cheese Shop.  Overall it was a great event and good to see the whole Brooklyn Brewery team and NYC craft beer family out enjoying themselves.

Appearance: Draft pours a deep brown color with a dark tan head. Due to the draft pour, there was little to no lacing initially but a slight swirl developed a subtle head and some nice residual lacing.

Smell: Chocolate and roasted malts on the nose. The Marris-Otter malt – a favorite of European beers – comes through as well. Hints of raisin and some pine hop notes

Taste: There’s a surprisingly light body to the Cookie Jar Porter and a more tart flavor than I was expecting. Lots and lots of raisin notes come forward (the source of the tart/sour flavors) as well as chocolate and caramel flavors and some herbal, woody hints from the Willamette hops. As the beer warms, som vanilla and honey flavors develop but they primarily the supporting cast for the chocolate malt.

Mouthfeel: A fine light carbonation and bitterness hit the tongue. Slightly dry finish.

Drinkability: Cookie Jar Porter has a surprisingly light bodied for having such a heavy sounding name. If you like malty beers with tart and bitter notes then this will go down easy. Initially, I thought one was enough but ended up drinking three to hunt down all the flavors. Its not a growler fill, per say, but a pint or two will go down without question.

Overall: The name Cookie Jar Porter threw me for a loop on this one. I was expecting something candy sweet, almost like a Breury 2 Turtle Doves. Instead, this is much more like a traditional English porter (with American Willamette hops rather than the British Fuggles). Once I realigned my palate out of “desert beer mode” I really appreciated all of the subtle tart and bitter notes to be found here. This reminds me a bit of a Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre but with more British Ale elements.

Brewing Note:
Malts: Floor Malted Maris Otter, British crystal, chocolate and caramel malts.
Other Grains: Whole Golden Oats
Other Sugars: Brown sugar, pureed raisins, wildflower honey
Hops: Willamette
OG: 19% Plato
ABV: 7.8% ABV

Style: English Porter / Winter Ale / Holiday Ale
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: 30
Availability: annually, late fall and winter, bottle and draft
Pairing: charred steak, black and white cookies, brownies
click here for more Nøgne Ø reviews

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark brown with a tan head which leaves a bit of lacing on the glass

Smell: Notes of licorice, chocolate and vanilla all come forward. Some roasted notes as the beer warms. Very unique for a porter.

Taste: The Nøgne Ø Winter hits the palate with lots of roasted malt characteristics and a dry finish. There are lingering flavors of burnt caramel as well as all chocolate and vanilla. It’s incredibly balanced for such a unique beer and hides it’s 8.5% alcohol well.

Mouthfeel: A fine light carbonation and sweetness hit the mouth but the finish is quite dry. The result is a dangerously drinkable combination.

Drinkability: This one goes down pretty easy. It’s thick for a porter but – like most Nøgne Ø beers – the balance holds together any skepticism of its drinkability. I could easily have a few of these on a cold night.

Overall: The Nøgne Ø Winter (or God Jul if you live outside of the U.S.) is a rich winter ale that is welcoming to both porter and stout drinkers alike. The combination of sweet flavors, roasted notes and dry finish make it a great dessert beer, pairing for a heavy winter meal or even a nice aprés ski brew.

Brewing Note: “A dark ale brewed specially for the Christmas season, with a rich, complex taste of caramel. This is a strong, dark and rather sweet Christmas Beer – just the way we think a Christmas beer should be. Recommended serving temperature 12°C/53°F. Great with cheese or nuts. Ingredients: Lager, Munich, caramel, black, and chocolate malt; Chinook, Columbus, and Centennial hops; English ale yeast, and our local Grimstad water.” source)

Other reviews:
Nøgne Ø Winter on Beer Rant
Nøgne Ø Winter on Beer Advocate

(photo source)