Anderson Valley Brewing Company was established on the lower level of a brewpub, in Mendocino County in 1987. The brewery’s capacity was a mere 10 barrels at that time. Recent growth in stature and demand caused the construction of a new facility in 1996, which has also since been redeveloped. Anderson Valley beers are brewed with only pure ingredients, and have received many awards in the brewery’s short history.

Having so far reviewed Boont Amber and Hop Ottin’ IPA with great pleasure, I have been keen to pick up anything else I find by Anderson Valley. The beers seem pretty easy to find here in California, so as a darker beer fan, Deep Enders Porter just happened to be the next beer on my list.

Boontling
As you will note, if you have read my other reviews, one unique aspect of this brewery is the curious names of its beers. These names are derived from a language called Boontling, which was developed in the late 1800’s and still exists to a minor extent today. Deep Enders are residents of the town of Navarro, located due west of Anderson Valley and bordering the Pacific Coast.

Deep Enders Dark Porter
Like many stouts and porters the beer pours to an opaque color, with reflections of ruby red in the light. An impressive thick tan head forms pretty quickly. It’s a pretty foamy beer and the head lasts well. The aroma is predominantly toasty, and surprisingly a little peppery with definite hop content. Further efforts revealed something I would compare to coffee with hazelnut cream.

While the front of the palate is certainly malty and creamy, it is a little brief. The beer carries a pretty light mouthfeel for its style; it’s smooth, but just washes to the back a little too quickly. The front and the middle do need a little encouragement to pull out the flavors but after a little time I did start to detect chocolate. The dry and pleasantly bitter finish to the beer does carry more weight. For a porter, the bitterness (I don’t know the IBU’s) is pretty strong, even citric, almost measuring up to an IPA. The aftertaste is satisfying too, blending the hops, the chocolate and a roasted coffee-like flavor.

What can I say?
I’m not completely sure which way to go on this one. I think for sure that any porter fan should give it a go, but it’s certainly not the best of its style. There’s a great aroma and the finish and aftertaste are very pleasing, but the palate was just a little too thin and disappointing. On the positive side I could say that this makes for an easy-drinking session beer.

I do feel that it would probably work better with food. The label recommends drinking after dinner but I think it needs something like a charred T-bone steak to support it.

Jumping off the Fence
Would I recommend it?
Yes: To the real ale or porter fan who likes to give everything a fair chance. Worth a try but not the best porter I ever tasted by a long way.
No: Not for the average drinker. If you rarely diversify, this is not quite good enough to be your “something different” for the night.

Would I buy it again? Probably not. This is certainly not the best that this excellent brewery has to offer.

Availability and Price
Widely available in California, and at least to some extent, the rest of the country. As far as I’m aware it only comes in 22oz bottles. I bought mine at Jensen’s for $3.19.


Recommended: Yes