Porter, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

I'll be honest. I'm a fan of Sierra Nevada. I generally think they do a great job with a number of different beers, and in general, you can't go wrong with their stuff. I'd love to tour their brewery some day...

So when I came across a "new" Sierra Nevada Porter recently, I was excited to try it. I figured that it would be terrific, and I was right. It is very much what a porter should be: dark brown color, flavors of smokiness and chocolate, a touch of hop bitterness. ABV of 5.6%, which is appropriate for the style. This is a great beer.

Here's the funny part: Sierra Nevada has been brewing this beer for 25+ years, and I've had it plenty of times before. But the label was recently redesigned, leading to intense confusion on my part. The current label can be seen to the left, and the old label is here.

I think the new label is a big improvement. The beer is still fantastic.

Rating = 4.0

Who's up for a trip to Chico, CA for the brewery tour?