Four porters in honor of George Washington

George Washington's birthday was last month so this post is a long time in coming. On February 18, we drank four porters to celebrate the former president's birthday. Jay R. Brooks of Brookston Beer Bulletin wrote about Washington's love of porters in his Chronicle column. Washington's favorite porter, according to Brooks, was Robert Hare Porter brewed in Philadelphia. Robert Hare was also the "first porter brewery" to open in the U.S. in 1775. In his article, Brooks wrote about Anchor Porter, Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Sierra Nevada Porter, and Eel River Porter. We drank Eel River, Butte Creek, Deschutes Black Butte, and Anchor porters. Although we did not rank the beers, we rated them by asking whether we would buy them again (see table below photos).

Porter brewery	Label/ bottle	Brew color	Taste		Alc. %	Location	Organic?	Purchase again?
Eel River	Standard bottle ("stuby screw top"), not the most inspired label	Dirty reddish brown; dark caramel	How is this different from an amber; forgettable, no porter nose		5.5	Fortuna, CA	Yes (California Certified Organic Farmers)	No
Butte Creek	Standard bottle (tall); label has a woodcut feel; like the farm imagery	Definitely darker, "inky" with a bit of head	Rich (like a Sheaf stout); closer to a stout but not as creamy as a Guinness, sour end		5.9	Chico, CA	yes	Yes; Maybe/yes
Deschutes Black Butte	Distinctive bottle; cool landscape label	Between Eel River and Butte Creek in color; yeast on the bottom	Carbonated taste up front; sour, yeasty with a slightly sweet finish		5.2	Bend, OR	No	Yes; Maybe/yes
Anchor Porter	Distinctive bottle (short, pear shaped); like the trademark anchor	Ruby colored pour; very dark (darkest of the four)	Malt nose, fruity, chocolate malt end, sour with chocolate end; citrus zest; banana		Not listed	San Francisco	No	Yes