Anchor Porter

From the Golden Gate City, San Francisco, California, comes Anchor Porter. A.P. is brewed by the Anchor Brewing Co. and contains 5.6% alcohol. It's sold in 355mL bottles that have an elegant shape and a handsome, old-world label. Also, the label on the neck of the bottle makes a pretty bold claim about Anchor Porter: "It is aesthetically pleasing and wholly superior in every respect".

Anchor Porter is a nearly opaque black ale topped with a vibrant and creamy tan head. This beer isn't especially aromatic, but it does have a gentle malt nose with some molasses hints. The initial flavour is malty, with some bitter cocoa notes and a touch of pipe tobacco. There is a pretty respectable hop bill that inhabits this ale, and which comes to the fore near the finish. It has a largely creamy moiuthfeel, but with a slight crunch at the end.

A.P. is a fine example of the porter style. It's flavourful, rich, and tastes well made. Given that I've had better porters, I think the claim that it's "wholly superior in every respect" falls a bit short, but it is definitely a beer of quality.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.