Epic Barrel Aged Imperial Vanilla Porter and Salt Lake Brewing London Dungeon Smoked Porter 

• Mike Riedel

This week we take you down two different paths with a couple of porters that show you how different this classic English can be. There are six sub-categories of "porters," but the basics of the style lean towards having flavors of black malt, chocolate or smoked brown malt. Hop bitterness is moderate on the whole, and the color ranges from brown to black. Alcohol can range from 4.5 percent to well into the upper 10 percent range.

Epic - Barrel Aged Imperial Vanilla Porter: This new Imperial Porter dials in at 9.0 percent and spent six plus months in bourbon and rye barrels. Vanilla is the primary spice. Dark brown to almost black, it includes a half-finger of tan head that fades slowly, with a minimum of visible carbonation in the opaque brew. This looks pretty thick during the pour, but not like Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout. Bourbon, chocolate, and vanilla scents swirl together, plus sweet chocolate and milk chocolate, mild oak dryness and tannins. You also get vanilla smoothness, a bit of leather and a mild amount of barrel char. It's nice, and fairly complex for style.

Bourbon, dark chocolate, and vanilla appear again for the taste, plus roasted malts, milk chocolate and Whoppers malted balls. Caramel, mild coffee and more bourbon heat appear with mild, dry barrel tannins, but the sweet flavors certainly win out here. The oak may add some more vanilla, but there's plenty to go around. Then more sweet chocolate and bourbon linger in the hang. You get a pretty heavy body, but this isn't the typical Big Bad Baptist stout, for sure. Low carbonation sensation overall, but probably about average for style. The alcohol is obvious, but not overly hot for the ABV listed—this could be dangerous. I wouldn't have guessed it was 9.0 percent.

Verdict: Pretty damn good. The vanilla stays natural-tasting, never artificial or overly dominant. It's certainly there, but you still get the other flavors as well. The barrel presence is maybe just a touch heavy-handed, but it's definitely a good beer.

Salt Lake Brewing - London Dungeon Smoked Porter: This porter utilizes smoked malt to enhance its already roast-forward malt profile, though its 5.0 percent ABV is light for the style. You'd never know it, as the smokiness fills the gap.

Somewhat transparent light brown pour yields a dark brown body that has a reddish-whitish head of 1/2-finger foam with a slight lace as it recedes. The smoke and bacon-like aromas are apparent right away; I get a nice nutty, chocolatey porter note underneath that which compliments the smoke very well. The smoke is assertive, but not overdone. I gotta say this aroma is pretty damn fine.

The flavor brings nutty malt and chocolate malt, with subtle smoke and spice notes. The bulk of the smoke falls off in a timely manner, and leaves a mild presence much like a campfire in the neighborhood somewhere. You also get hints of Fudgesicle on the finish. Mouthfeel is busy with carbonation and has a medium body with slight wateriness. Smoke is in the feel too a bit, lending a unique sandy dryness.

Verdict: This easily falls into the background with all of the showy beers that are being put out now, but honestly, this is a pretty fantastic brew. I love how the smoke is prominent yet never too intense, striking the right balance. Nice chocolate ice cream notes permeate throughout without being too sweet, and the nutty malt gives the impression of robustness.

You can find the London Dungeon at Salt Lake Brewing/Squatters on draft only, while Epic's Barrel Aged Imperial Vanilla Porter is available to go or enjoy in their pub via 22-ounce bottles. You can also find it at select DABS stores. As always, cheers!