I have never been one to go straight for a porter, they mark an unfamiliar territory for me in the world of beer. For some reason I have always been afraid to go near them, it may be the foreboding blackness of the pint or the fact that it is so thick that I am in fear of choking. It was last week when work bought my a selection of beers for my birthday that I found myself staring face to face with a can of Beavertown's Smog Rocket. So not to look soft I decided to man up and try it.
The graphic images of planes crashing and bombs going off above an industrial landscape really didn't calm me down. I knew I was in for an unforgettable experience. So I opened the can and began to pour...
The first thing that strikes you is just how black it is, it is not just dark in colour but I am sure that light itself can not pass through it. The black is then completely contrasted by a light creamy head which sits on top. The Smog Rocket is a brew apparently Inspired by "London’s Industrial Revolution when Smog filled the air" and that it is "reminiscent of the smoke stacks of industrial London". At first I was sceptical of these comments, maybe just something to get the inhabitants of "The Big Smoke" to buy but when you are filled up by this wonderful smokey aroma it is hard not to agree with the comparisons the brewery has drawn. After you have had your quick flashback to a time when you had to try avoid being killed by Jack-The-Ripper your nose is joined with that sweet distinct chocolate porter smell.
The first sip coats the mouth, the full, almost creamy feel of the beer really gives you the impression that this beer will satisfy your needs. The flavours then start to come through, your palette will first be attacked by the caramel, then complex tones of chocolate and dark treacle start to join in. All the while you have this fantastic smokey taste filling both your mouth and nose which brings to mind a roaring open fire with a new log on the top. This tipple is very comforting and warming, I am sad winter is coming to an end because it would have been an excellent friend on those dark bleak nights.
As a boy from the industrial north i am no stranger to the dark satanic mills and I think this smokey little number has woken some ancestral mill worker in me with a hankering for more porter.
4/5
The graphic images of planes crashing and bombs going off above an industrial landscape really didn't calm me down. I knew I was in for an unforgettable experience. So I opened the can and began to pour...
The first thing that strikes you is just how black it is, it is not just dark in colour but I am sure that light itself can not pass through it. The black is then completely contrasted by a light creamy head which sits on top. The Smog Rocket is a brew apparently Inspired by "London’s Industrial Revolution when Smog filled the air" and that it is "reminiscent of the smoke stacks of industrial London". At first I was sceptical of these comments, maybe just something to get the inhabitants of "The Big Smoke" to buy but when you are filled up by this wonderful smokey aroma it is hard not to agree with the comparisons the brewery has drawn. After you have had your quick flashback to a time when you had to try avoid being killed by Jack-The-Ripper your nose is joined with that sweet distinct chocolate porter smell.
The first sip coats the mouth, the full, almost creamy feel of the beer really gives you the impression that this beer will satisfy your needs. The flavours then start to come through, your palette will first be attacked by the caramel, then complex tones of chocolate and dark treacle start to join in. All the while you have this fantastic smokey taste filling both your mouth and nose which brings to mind a roaring open fire with a new log on the top. This tipple is very comforting and warming, I am sad winter is coming to an end because it would have been an excellent friend on those dark bleak nights.
As a boy from the industrial north i am no stranger to the dark satanic mills and I think this smokey little number has woken some ancestral mill worker in me with a hankering for more porter.
4/5
