Name: The Shortie- Ardbeg Smoky Porter
Brewers: Williams Brothers Brewing Co., Brewgooder (United Kingdom)
Style: Classic Style Smoked Beer (Base Style: English Porter)
ABV: 6.2%
Review Year: 2021
The Shortie is a smoky porter brewed by two Scottish craft breweries, Williams Brothers Brewing Co. and Brewgooder. The same peated malt in the award-winning Ardbeg Ten Years Old whisky was used to make this beer. All profits from this beer were donated to support clean water projects in Malawi.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Classic Style Smoked Beer (32A) with the English Porter (13C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Semi-opaque ruby brown (almost black) with a light brown head with good retention. The aroma instantly brought its drinkers to Islay with the initial peat character (mossy, earthy, smoky). As it settled, The Shortie unveiled additional aromas of chocolate, spice, dark fruit, and roasted malts. Medium-light in body, moderate carbonation. A slight watery impression was noted while a subtle buttery mouthfeel and a low puckering afterfeel were also perceived. The flavor melded moderately toasty malts, mossy smoky peat with dark chocolate against a backdrop of a medium-low biscuity malt backbone and a nutty accent. Bitterness was a notch below moderate while residual sweetness was very faint. Low grape undertones met with a subtle buttery flavor. The aftertaste remained briefly with toasty, peaty, and grapey impressions.
THE VERDICT
Benchmarked as a Classic Style Smoked English Porter, The Shortie is a sessionable, moderately roasty dark ale that featured the right amount of Islay peat smokiness. The balance between the base style and the smoked character is a key consideration The Shortie embodied well. Consequently, this smoked beer is free from any harsh and unpleasant smoked-derived qualities.
The Shortie had the core features of an English Porter despite being brewed with peated malt. The moderately roasty malt aroma and flavor, biscuity malt, and the moderately low level of bitterness were just a few of these mentioned features present. The subtle buttery aftertaste and mouthfeel are suggestive of diacetyl, which is not a flaw if detected in low levels in an English Porter. However, we think the slightly watery mouthfeel could be traded in for an appropriately light-to-moderate creamy texture.
Overall, The Shortie is a very good concept that brought together two classic English themes. This is definitely for the Islay whisky aficionados, but others might prefer their peat smoke in heavier beer styles such as an Imperial Stout.
Related Reviews:
Williams Brothers Brewing Co.
Brewgooder
Craft Beer from the United Kingdom
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