OTTER CREEK STOVEPIPE PORTER
Brewer: Otter Creek Brewing (Middlebury, VT)
Type: Porter
ABV: 5.4%
Six Pack: $7.49
I like to admit my bias upfront: I friggin LOVE Otter Creek. I've never had a bad beer from OC and just about everyone of them ranks near "Best in Class" in my mind. Which is another thing that separates me from the so-called connoisseurs, who generally don't give their work good marks.
Having said that, the Stovepipe Porter is probably the OC brew I've drank the least. The connotations that come along with "Porter" often psyche me out: A thick, hearty concoction best drank on cold evenings to ensure a lovely warm slumber. I'm doing my best to fight off that prejudice though, because a porter is a wonderful elixir and I'm going to do my damnedest to work them into the rotation.
As noted, I'm not that big on color but for what it's worth, this poured pretty black and settled a tad bit lighter. Looked thick enough to be serious though. It's head wasn't too overbearing but just substantial enough. But again, I'm not in the business of admiring the color, I'm all about making sure the glass ends up transparent.
First thing I noticed after sip numero uno was this was hoppier than I expected a Porter to be. Once again, a good thing. Me like a the Hop. Also had a bit of a chocolatey-caramel taste to it, but not so much that it was overbearing like I was drinking liquified Snickers. I dug it.
As far as how it went down, a little bit easier than I anticipated. It was hearty enough but not to the point of "Crap, I'm full". And like many beers, each sip gulp went down easier and easier. The last sip of each glass seemed to be the sweetest. The aftertaste - a term that conjures up some pretty negative imagery - was actually quite enjoyable. Like a band of chocolate dwarves doing somersaults in my mouth. As I moved on through the sixer, I became more and more relaxed, though not drowsy.
As noted, I'm hardly a Porter expert so I really don't have too many points of comparison, at least not recent ones, but I'll absolutely recommend this to anybody who may share my occasional reservations about Porters. It seems it's smack in the middle of the spectrum of Porters in terms of ABV, so it's neither too weak or too debilitating. And there's certainly nothing wrong with the taste. Once again, The Creek delivers.
My final report card (numbered stats on a scale of 1-10):
Bang For The Buck: 5. Middle of the road, though about 50 cents cheaper than other porters.
Taste: 7. Erring on the side of caution, as I can't compare it to the Porter field. But I enjoyed it.
Drinkability: 8. Which is probably a very high mark for it's class.
1 Makes You Feel: Content
3 Make You Feel: Reflective
6 Make You Feel: Like putting your arm around a shorter man and telling him that he's the shit, and then listing all the reasons why.
Ideal Musical Companion: Johnny Cash's American IV: The Man Comes Around. Lotta good introspective tracks, though you'll be more inclined to cry during Danny Boy.
Ideal Cheeseburger: Shared plate of Sliders, with a sharp cheese like cheddar or Swiss. The beer is somewhat filling, a 900 calorie monster burger might be enough to lull you to sleep.
If this beer was an athlete, it'd be: David Ortiz. You might be intimidated by the appearance, and if you get stupid, you'll end up in trouble. But don't be scared, it's actually quite easy to handle. 
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