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…

The Cask Connoisseur

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!