OK folks this is going to be a rather quick one. That’s because Hoppin’ Frog Silk Porter is one of those beers that, while tasty enough, aren’t all that remarkable. Maybe I was expecting too much; after all, the last two beers I had from this brewery were B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher and Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin.  And if those two don’t set your expectations on the higher end, I don’t know what will.

To be fair, Silk Porter is not an over the top high alcohol beer. This is meant to be an easy drinking porter of average strength (6.2% alcohol by volume).  I’ve tried a number of beers from this Akron, Ohio brewer since they started showing up in Georgia; none have disappointed.

 Here’s what the brewery says about Silk Porter:

Dark, robust and silky-smooth, with many flavors of roasted, toasted and caramel malts. Porter is an old-world beer style, so popular that it helped start the industrial revolution. Taste the history.

And here’s what I think:

Hoppin’ Frog Silk Porter pours to a dark brownish black color with a thin creamy tan head formation and a rather subtle roasty nose. Taking a sip, I get some definite caramel up front followed by soft roasty notes of chocolate and subtle chicory. In the finish, some grassy herbal hops complement the light roastiness and deposit an ever so gentle lingering bitterness.

All in all this is a nice little sipping porter, a brown porter to be precise, that’s a welcome departure from the tendency to overdo everything these days. Slightly above average in strength, you can still drink the bomber bottle without too much ill effect.

Extra points for the way the caramel and chocolate notes blend together (for me this is the best part of the beer), but a demerit for the price ($7.48 for a 22 ounce bottle, which is about $2 to $1.50 more than it should be in my opinion). Still, I very much enjoyed this beer and would definitely buy it again.

Recommended: Yes