Samuel Adams Honey Porter
Bought in mixed 6 pack sampler. Freshness date stamped on package. Poured two bottles into large, glass beer mug. Beer took a pretty good, foamy head. Foam laced glass very well. Appearance was only notably average, doesn't look too much different than other beers of this type. Relatively dark, when held up to the light you can see just a bit of daylight, a very dark brown color. Head is sort of an off-white cream color. Took a whiff of the beer to sample smell. Hmm, peculiar to say the least, but nothing surprising. For a beer called a "honey porter", I was expecting some funky smells situated in there somewhere. But alas, not particularly aromatic; a little astringency and that nice maltiness. Alright, moment of truth-- time to take a sip. And woah, that's where the beer takes its turn from average to somewhat unique. Starts bitter with tastes of charcoal, coffee, and woodiness; moves on to a smooth malty, caramel flavor when all of the sudden the sweet honey sets in. Finishes with just a hint of spiciness for some reason, which was interesting. Nothing unique for mouthfeel, but after having a taste of it, it's hard to complain. Relatively good drinkability for beers of this type. Naturally it's a bit heavy but compared to some others in this style it sits pretty good. All in all a very solid brew and one of my favorites from Sam Adams so far.