London Porter 5.0% ABV
Monday is once again back around, if only we could just rewind the clock back to Friday night again, sadly we can’t!
I do hope though you’ve all had a tremendous weekend and enjoyed spending some lovely time outside in the sun.
In all honestly, last week was of the most tremendous weeks since lockdown began and that was for one special occasion, on Wednesday, Isobel celebrated her 23rd Birthday and as a nice surprise Isobel came down to see me so we could have a socially distanced birthday in the back garden.
This was such a glorious and a lovely moment as it has been 3 months since we last saw each other properly, it made my day and made her birthday.
It does truthfully show that we are one day away to getting out of this pandemic and we can be reunited to carry on with our lives together.
It was truly special!
Today’s post is on a delicious ale called London Porter, which in my mind is an outstanding beer and one that you must indulge yourself into!
History
London Porter is an exquisite dark beer that is proudly brewed by Shepherd Neame Brewery.
The brewery is situated in the medieval market town of Faversham in Kent and you may believe this or not, but this brewery is the oldest in the whole of the UK, the brewery was first established in 1698 and is currently still brewing some of the most iconic beers ever e.g. Spitfire.
This is an overlook of the brewery, showing the fermenting vessels which are an important process in the making of the beer.
You can actually do a tour around this marvellous brewery, this is something I need to do, hopefully when I can drive this will be on my bucket list!
This beautiful beer can be traced back to around the 1740s but it was increasingly popular in London during the 18th century.
The name of the beer takes it from the porter style and was first made famous to the market workers within the city of London, however, to quote this fact correctly this beer is not brewed in the Capital it was just down to the pure fact of being a high demand within the city.
London Porter has been rewarded twice in the CAMRA’s Champion Winter Beer Of Britain!
- Silver – 1997 – Champion Winter Beer Of Britain
- Bronze – 2004 – Champion Winter Beer Of Britain
It is surprisingly classed as a winter beer, but in my eyes, I would class it as a traditional beer that can be sampled all year round and in my review, later on in this post you will find out why.
Back in the late 1990s, Shepherd Neame had produced a draught porter which was available as a seasonal beer and there is huge speculation whether this porter which appeared on the handpumps was the same as the bottled porter and still to this very day there isn’t enough evidence to support this case.
London Porter is only found in bottles and sadly isn’t available in any pubs across the UK!
Tasting Notes
A rich dark beer which is packed with intense flavourings of chocolate and spicy liquorice.
You may be thinking that this is beer is too heavy due to the aromas but I believe it’s an ultimate session drink, despite the strength!
Review
I am a keen lover of trying new beers, especially beers that you can buy at the supermarket and this was where I bought my bottle of London Porter from.
This beer though can only be purchased from Sainsbury’s and it forms part of the ‘Taste The Difference’ products which are available in the supermarket.
Now, I am not quite sure why it’s only Sainbury’s you can buy it from, I think it might be a contract between the store and the brewery, I am just not sure!
Due to the pubs being closed, I am currently not allowed to sample any Cask Ales at this moment in time, so what I’ve done is expanded my search and started buying beers from the local store and this was when I came across London Porter.
It had been a very warm day and I was wondering what to sample for the evening, so I thought I try my new purchase and I will reiterate it was completely beautiful, absolutely stunning.
The chocolate flavours are so vibrant and sweet, it was like having a pint of chocolate brownie in the glass, I know that sounds weird haha.
The first sip will usually always make you wonder whether it’s a beverage you will enjoy or hate and I think you can workout already, I was enjoying this.
The beer also had a very foamy and creamy top which made the drink even more indulging!
That is what you call a Perfect Pint and to say this was the first time I’ve ever tried this beer, I was hugely enjoying it.
I also treated myself to a curry in the evening and the beer was perfectly matched with my Chicken Korma!
What a way to end the evening after a wonderful sunny Saturday.
Ending
This porter is truly remarkable and it’s also a bargain, £2.00 for a pint, you simply can’t go wrong with that price.
I highly recommend this beer to you, I am really confident that you would all love this drink, yes it may be a winter beer but you can still enjoy it at any time of the year.
Basically, what I am trying to say is, if you have a Sainsbury’s Local or supermarket nearby and you’re wondering what to drink, why not keep a lookout and buy yourself a bottle of London Porter!
Cheers…
P.S – I am in the process of buying a mixed case of beer, just so I can bring you some more exceptionally brilliant ale posts during the lockdown!
TheCaskConnoisseur 
Chocolate & liquorice? Hmm interesting
Glad you got to have a nice day with Isobel mate 👍😊
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It’s a really nice beer mate, even though it’s summer, it was still fantastic.
Cheers buddy it was a fantastic day 😁
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LOve that you found a way to reunite for the birthday celebration. THe beer sounds goo but not for me – I’m a light beer drinker!
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There is some fantastic light beers out there 😁 especially the fruity and sweet ones. It was a fantastic time we both really enjoyed seeing each other 😊
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This sounds like an interesting combination. Thank you for sharing
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Thank you 😁
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I’m a total dark beer lover and this sounds like exactly my style with the chocolate and licorice notes!
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It really is a stunning beer, I completely love it 😁
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I love both licorice and chocolate so, even though I find I like lighter beers more then dark ones, this sounds like something I would try! I love trying new things and maybe even discovering the right beer makes me love something new.
That is a quite a picture of the fermenting vessels, but I think a good beer tastes of the passionate work that went into it, so thanks for sharing! 🙂
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It’s come through now Jaya 😂 thanks for commenting, it is a beautiful beer and very sweet, I just love it I can buy it from Sainsbury’s down the road.
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🙂 Glad to know it went through! I love sweet beers too, so cannot wait to try.
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Ooh sounds interesting! Not a fan of liquorice though haha
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It’s one of those flavours that you either like it or hate it haha
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Totally agree with you. That is a brilliant beer. And I think you’re right about the contract with Sainsbury’s. They seem to have a few like that.
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It is a cracking beer and I’m just really lucky that I can buy it from Sainsbury’s to be honest 😁
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I may have to try this, see what I think. Thanks for sharing, I never knew there was so much information about beer to be known. 🙂
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I am completely passionate about my beer 😁🍻
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Sounds delicious!! Is it 5 pm somewhere? I would love a beer 😉 (lol)
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I’ve got one chilling the fridge luckily 😁
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I’m jealous 😉 Still 1:30pm around here 😉
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Sadly pubs are closed here due to the pandemic, so have to rely on my own beer stash at home 😁
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Sounds like a really interesting combo for a beer- might have to give it a try! Have to say I can’t wait for pubs to reopen!
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I think we are all looking forward to the pubs re opening to be fair 😁
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Sounds like a great beer. Used to enjoy the odd beer before kids, these days more of a whiskey man, may have to give a few beers you have recommended a try.
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To be honest I love whisky as well 😁🥃
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Yay for being 23! In all seriousness though, this sounds like a great beer. I mean chocolate and spicy liquorice as a flavouring sounds amazing. If I were a beer drinker then this is something that I would be trying. Sounds like Sainsbury’s have some great choices of beer available. Thanks for sharing x
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Glad you had a good birthday, it is a beautiful combination, it fits really well, I loved it. Shame they don’t do it on the handpumps though. But the bottle still tastes good x
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