Last evening was the first cold AND rainy one of the Fall season and so I went searching for a beer that would steal away a little of the damp chill in the air. I came across a bottle of O'Fallon Smoked Porter at Old Town Wine & Spirits, and given my penchant for smoked beers and porters, I quickly snatched it up. I am a big believer that you can enjoy any type of beer anytime of the year and that porters and stouts need not be saved for cooler weather any more than a wheat beer need be saved for summer; drink what you like, when you like, is my motto. However, there is something to be said for the robustness of a darker beer, when the weather is like it was last night, that just makes you feel ever slightly warmer inside.
The O'Fallon Smoked Porter poured an inviting, dark as night, black color with a creamy, off-white, head that billowed and resembled the look of a really good root beer float head after it's been mixed with vanilla ice cream. This is a very good smoked porter; the aroma and flavor are not overly smoky, but are very present. A smoked beer can hardly ever be too smoky for my taste and so I personally would have liked a little more smoked character, but I am one extreme. You also detect some of the chocolaty and oak undertones from the malt. Plenty of others seem to think this is a good smoked porter as well - Ratebeer.com gives it a score of 92, Beeradvocate.com ranks it a B+, and it won a Gold Medal in the 2004 Great American Beer Festival for best Smoked Beer in America.
Make sure to get out and pick up a six pack or, at the very least, a bottle if you have not tried this one yet and are a fan of smoked beers or porters. Winter is almost upon us and a nice glass of O'Fallon's Smoked Porter will help take a little of the chill out of your bones. Add a space heater and a Snuggie and you've got yourself a recipe for cozy.
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