Smoke on the Porter

Smoke on the Porter is, as you'd expect, a smoked porter. It's a Torontonian ale, built by the raccoon-mad folks at Bandit Brewery. Sold in sharp 500mL bottles, this ale contains the standard 5% alcohol--a little light for the style, perhaps, but adequate.

SotP poured with a dismally thin layer of off-white head--a bit discouraging. If I had to guess, I'd say that this stuff had been sitting in the cooler at Bandit's bottle shop for a bit longer than it should have been. It's aroma was quite inviting though, with smoky malt notes and a whiff of leather. As for flavour, malt was the driving force, backed with a smoky tang that offered a bit of mystery. In terms of mouthfeel, SotP was fairly thin, which wasn't quite to my pleasure. It's finish was agreeable, though, with a blend of lingering smoke and bitter molasses.

My forays into Bandit's offerings have been largely positive, but I was a bit nonplussed by Smoke on the Porter. It had some delightful elements, but the overall product was a bit wanting. Still, I'd be willing to try it again, lest I picked up an unrepresentative bottle. For a smoked beer, there wasn't the assertive campfire warmth that I was pulling for. Coupled with a thin mouthfeel, this is a beer that, though promising, needs some fine tuning.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.