Jun 18, 2018

Ommegang Smoked Porter

I do love a good smoked porter. That meaty, smoked malt character that typically accompanies the dark appearances and roastiness is one that I don’t crave often, but when I do, there’s nothing like it. I was in such a mood when I picked up this bottle of Ommegang’s Smoked Porter earlier in May. I don’t believe that I have seen one of these porters from the brewery prior to this purchase and I was quite excited to see what the company could do in this realm.

Well, this is a really good porter with a good robust nature and decent roastiness balanced with an equal measure of sweetness. To call it a “smoked” porter may be a bit of a stretch. There’s a distant char in the aroma, but I’m not so sure that it translates to the flavor as expected. There’s no meatiness or touch of campfire notes. The beer’s recipe may use smoked malt somewhere in the mix, but not to the degree that causes it to stand out amongst the other elements.

I liked Ommegang’s Smoked Porter. I’d be more apt to call it a robust porter more than anything else. There’s just not enough of that meatiness commonly found with smoked malt or other beers in this realm. The soft char in the aroma is a tease when all is said and done. I’m not sure if the lack of smoke is a symptom of the recipe or the age of the beer, as there was no bottled or “born on” date found on the bottle.