Byatt's Smoke on the Porter

Tasting Summary

These comments are the opinion of the individual reviewer and represent what they thought of the beer on a particular day in a particular pub. If a review is less favourable, it may be because the beer suffered somewhere in the supply chain between them and the brewery.

St Albans Beer Festival 2026, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Who	Score	When	Notes
Hogan Sampling		26 Sep 2026	3rd beer of this festival visit: Served with very good head and lacing and lasting very well on this deep mahogany-brown bodied porter from a family micro-brewery launched in 2011 in Coventry, in the West Midlands, before expanding in 2016 with a move to a much larger, purpose-built Coventry-based facility at the Lythalls Lane Industrial Estate. A dry bittersweet first hit with a tease of wood smoke giving me a smoky tickle. A bready maltiness rising but not sweet in the least from its regional roasted malts with a special touch of traditionally smoked malts to weave in that ash-kissed flavouring, before pairing it with a handful of playful ripe juicy dark fruits from its English hops to aid my lubrication perfectly, and balancing their friction against the malty roastiness. A lingering dry hoppy bitterness going full steam ahead before the shunt down my chimney. Served in superb nick with lots of lasting mouthfeel.

The Flying Standard, Coventry, West Midlands

Who	Score	When	Notes
Blair		21 Jan 2020	Very flavoursome and smoky porter. Delicious.