Brewery: Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C., London, England

Brewery Description: Fuller’s London Porter captures the flavours of those brews perfectly, although you won’t find a cloudy pint these days! Smooth, rich, and strong (5.4% a.b.v.), our London Porter is brewed from a blend of brown, crystal and chocolate malts for a creamy delivery balanced by traditional Fuggles hops.

Brew Style: Porter, 5.4% ABV

Recommended Glassware: English Pint, Stem glass

The Ugly Truth: First off, I am really freakin’ tired. The wife and I just had baby number two, and he decided to come early so I wasn’t nearly as ready as I had wanted to be. Ah well, nothing that could have been controlled. Alright, Fuller’s Porter. In short, Fuller’s is not bad, but not the greatest porter I’ve ever had. The color is either a very deep amber or black, since my eyes are evidently not as good as they used to be. The pour had a minimal head to it, tan in color with a decent amount of carbonation. The aroma was good, with notes of chocolate and coffee in it. The taste was fairly mild and creamy. It actually kind of reminded me of Guinness a bit in the way the mild and creamy taste came through, though sadly not in the quality of the flavor. This to me seems to be the porter version of Killian’s Irish Red: it tastes good, but its just not the best porter out there. The taste is mild, and frankly left me with a feeling that there should have been more to it even though it was somewhat statisfying. The body was medium, with some creaminess to it and not a lot of carbonation. The notes of chocolate and coffee that were present in the aroma didn’t make much of an appearence in the flavor. The only time I did notice them was in the aftertaste, which tended to linger. In the overall, Fuller’s is easily drinkable and would statisfy an immediate need for the taste of a porter, but I found the whole experience not as deep as I would like.

Verdict: Porter! Carry 6 of those 10 bottlecaps up to the 5th floor and stack them in the corner.