Stone Smoked Porter - Chocolate & Orange Peel

We decided early on that we wouldn’t do seasonal beers for the sake of doing seasonal beers. Summer ales and winter lagers certainly have a ring to them. Big-beer focus groups prove consumers get a kick out of them, and macrobrew marketing analyses suggest they sell well. But for us, beer comes first, much as Stone Smoked Porter came first. Actually, it came second—oddly enough, in the form of a seasonal. Our co-founder and original brewmaster, Steve Wagner, thought it would be an innovative, warming creation suited for winter…and it was. Legend has it Greg’s mom agreed. But rather than relegating fans to nine peat-smoked-porterless months and building revenue-generating fervor for the cold season, we made it a year-round release. Nowadays, we brew a trio of tasty takes on this smoky, sultry vanguard. But the closest they come to being “seasonals” is that they are enhanced with seasonally driven ingredients such as vanilla bean and chipotle peppers. This version, released in the literally gray area separating sunshine and snowfall, incorporates dark chocolate and dried orange peel, making for a semisweet, citrus-nuanced porter that comes across like a break-apart chocolate orange enjoyed by a campfire. It’s not a seasonal—it’s just a phenomenal beer, regardless of the time of year. Throw out the calendar and enjoy.

3.3

156 reviews

Escondido, United States

Community reviews

3.7 Gentle pour from bomber into pint glass. Creamy quickly dissapaiting head, mahogany color. Smokey but not overwhelming nose, chocolate underneath, just a hint of orange. In the mouth, typical dry porter roastiness. The smoke is in the back, and I get the orange as more a bitter orange end note. Finishes dry and coffee/chocolate. A pretty good porter, the advertised chocolate, orange and smoke come in the nose more than mouth.

3.0 Grumeaux monstrueux qui donne une sensation de gruau dans le verre. Arôme de malt rôtie, poivre, piment et noix. En bouche, goût de café, zeste d’orange, citron, chocolat noir bien amère et de piment fort. La texture est fade, faible amertume chocolaté. Bière buvable et originale mais pas à la portée de tous les palais.

2.3 22 oz bottle, bottled on 10/17/14- Pours dark brown to black with what i can’t even say how large of a head because this beer had some serious carbonation issues, flaws, as soon i popped the cap, the foam started to geyser, out of instinct i put my hand over the bottle, but that didn’t stop it, the pressure just built and built until it was seeping all over my end table, seeing this wasn’t a clean way to do it i carefully carried it over to the sink and it continued to over flow in the sink for minutes more, still not ending, i dumped some of the beer out, thinking now i can go sit down with it, but the whole thing started over, half of my beer now gone, i can now rate- Aroma is strong in chocolate, bitter-sweet chocolate, orange peel is there, but subtle. The taste is more orange peel, with a chocolate taste to back it up. Carbonation is bad obviously and the body is fair for the style. Bad experience, wouldn’t doubt if some of these bottles left in the shop i bought it in will pop soon!

3.3 Bouteille de 22 oz achetée chez Beverage Warehouse (Winooski, VT) au coût de 7,75$. Arôme: Odeur de chocolat et d’orange. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un large col beige mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût d’orange avec une pointe de chocolat et de cendre. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement onctueuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Légère présence d’orange en arrière goût. (Rating #6250)

3.6 Righteous porter, very subtly flavored with smoke, chocolate and oranges. No real over-the-top flavors. Moderate earthy bitterness. Just a decent porter that is a bit off the beaten path.

3.2 Dark brown in color, clear with a thin head. Nice aroma light or a tad light with the orange. Was hoping for more. Nice drinkable porter the smoke was a tad light also. Interesting beer too many flavors going on.

3.7 Bottle from Meditrina. Very dark brown with tan head and lace. Smoky ashy campfire aroma with orange peel and chocolate. Smoky chocolate with roasted coffee plummy fruit and orange tartness and peel sitting on top up the nose. Medium bitter dark chocolate smoke ash roast finish. Medium body. Creamy. Very good. Doesn’t completely ruin the amazing original.

3.3 Dark black brown pour with quarter inch light brown head. Scent is sweet overall, candied orange, dark bitter cocoa, campfire smoke too. Soft carbonation, creamy light mouthfeel, clean finish that’s slightly sour. The flavors of orange and chocolate are perfectly blended, some indistinct bitter hops and smokey mesquite Malt taste toward the finish.

2.5 Smoked choc and a sweet citrus come from this dark red hazy brew with fod in the bottom of the glass and an off white head . The yeast continues to roll as the beer sits. Smoke chocolate and citrus notes attempt to make a crisp lightish bodied porter. Orange comes in the aftertaste and begins to overwhelm my taste buds.

3.2 Bottle: The first pour yields a dark mahogany colored brew with great clarity and a small beige head... second glass had a few chunks plop down and much more beige head... the last pour was pretty well murky with floaters. Orange peel is noticeable in the nose, along with the standard smoke and roast. Not much orange in the taste, a faint chocolate sweetness, and a toned down smokiness from the original. Interesting idea for a spinoff, but imo weaker than the original and my least favorite variation thus far.

3.1 A great idea & a good beer, but still... Chocolate & orange make a wonderful marriage - If only you could taste it here. A solid lighter porter with some molasses notes. A good brew.

3.0 My Bottom Line: Ashes and dark chocolate rain on confused fruitiness, leading to roasted bitterness and moderate disappointment. Further Personal Perceptions: -A generous head of foam dissipates into the chunky mahogany. -The ashy component is unsettling. -Mouthfeel is lean and bubbly, which doesn’t particularly work well with this type of flavor profile. -This is not up to Stone’s usual quality standards. Bottle.

3.6 On tap. Dark brown with one finger head. Chocolate and orange aroma. Orange is stronger in the taste. Pretty good.

2.1 BOD 10/17/14. Very cloudy dark brown cola like pour with heavy flocculation. World Class head volume, lacing and retention. Nose of chocolate, orange and roast with hints of coffee over a smoky background. As it warms, smoke dominates. Medium body with a very smooth texture. Normal carbonation. The flavor profile is unpleasant. It is borderline rank. I’m drain pouring the rest.

3.5 Location: Bottle from Hoboken Vine, 3/1/15, Bottled 10/11/14 Aroma: The aroma is light and smokey, some citrus/orange zest, roast, and a bit of chocolate Appearance: Pours a mahogany color with a thin tan head and some light, drippy lace Flavor: The mix of smoked and citrus flavors is odd, it sort of works, but doesn’t totally work Palate: The body is on the lighter side, with average carbonation, and a lightly dry finish Overall Impression: I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this one. The combination doesn’t totally work, but at the same time, it sort of works. I found this sort of enjoyable.

3.7 The chocolate and orange are surprisingly apparent in the aroma at first. The taste has much more dark chocolate and cocoa in it and the orange fades into the background somewhat, but it really does have the flavor of a "chocolate orange" you get around Christmas. The smoke is fairly dominant but not overpowering. Color is actually somewhat orangey brown and rather murky. A bit sweeter than its normal version, but not to the level of a dessert beer. Definitely good with food.

3.1 Very similar to the standard smoked porter but more effervescent lots of sediments in the bottle. Even a few chunks, orange and chocolate are very subtle. I appreciate bottle conditioning and don’t mind some sediment but this was to much. I think it was probably just a little bad luck with this one bottle.

3.0 The aloma by which a malt burned and the refreshing aloma of the orange peel. The taste of the chocolate which seems to be orange refreshing taste and porter when I drink If it was similar than coffee. I was after eating, but this may also be all right with food table wine.

3.6 Tap at Beer Junction, Seattle. Colour is dark brown with small white head. Aromas and flavours: Some smoke, fruits, citrus, orange peel, hints of chocolate and roasted malts. Very fruity porter.

4.1 Draft at Olympic. From notes. Loads of orange, dark chocolate, and citrus.

3.6 Keg at The Grove, Huddersfield ,Friday 20th February 2015 Very orangey and with plenty of smokiness in fact the aroma is like a smoked Terrys chocolate orange, a little strange. Some candied orange peel in the mouth and bitter dark chocolate smokiness is ever present but not OTT in fact relatively subtle. Smooth mouthfeel the carbonation is very soft. It was an absolute pain for the barman to pour though, he must have spent a full ten minutes on pouring this one beer, it was just so frothy and creamy. A7 A4 T7 P4 Ov14 3.6

3.2 Pours dark brown in the glass with a medium head. Aroma has orange and roasted malts. Taste has both roasted and smoked malts, There is also some chocolate with a hint of orange. Average beer with a bland finish.

3.7 Keg the grove inn Huddersfield. Black thin head. Aroma choc orange. Taste same good long dark smokey Malts nice bitter finish. Ok body. Very tasty.

3.0 Clear dark brown pour with garnet highlights and almost no head. Dark cocoa covers up the smokiness of the base. The orange shows up more in the flavor, but isn’t offensive or too overpowering, though, it is the main note behind the cocoa. well, it didn’t suck as much as I thought it would. still, not my cup of tea. I really don’t think that chocolate and orange is all that great of a combination.

3.7 660ml bottle from Valhalla’s Goat. Very dark brown, lively with massive foamy head. Orange chocolate aroma and flavour. Sharp with bitter aftertaste. Quite light and refreshing for a porter.

3.6 Bomber from Capone’s. Dark brownish pour with tan head. Dark malt, roasty, cacao, mild hops and orange zest in the nose. Tastes like a less dense version of the regular with some orange and cacao.

3.5 One-third pint, tap at Clove Hitch in Liverpool. Spotty lacing from a patchy surface. Deep rosewood coloured body. Aromas of dark malts and dark fruits, subdued smoked malts. Fine blended taste of orange and cocoa with a touch of smoked malts. Prolonged malt-fruity ending. Tasty and true to its name (02.02.2015).

3.2 Bottle share; Chelmsford Alehouse; bought from Hop Burns and Black in London. Some orange. Jaffa cakes. Chocolate. Cream. So bloody light for a porter. Blackcurrant. A little oil but thin. Really not a lot to write home about. Sorry Stone. I normally love your beers. It wasn’t infected.

3.2 On tap at SunSpot. Reddish black, thin tan head. Smells like chocolate and light citrus. Taste is oddly medicinal, then chocolate and citrus. Honestly, it seems like the orange peel and smoke kinda clash.

4.0 Pours a dark brown with a very creamy, tan head that leaves great lacing on the glass. Aroma has a strong smoky presence with a pronounced dark chocolate late in the nose and is softened by a light citrus orange sweetness at the finish. Flavor starts off with a strong chocolate presence and slowly transitions to a smooth brown malt and light smoky flavors. The beer finishes with a melding of malt toasted notes and a light orange fruitiness. Body is modest with a low, fine carbonation. Lover the deep, chewy flavors in this low alcohol beer.