63 of the Best Porters, Blind-Tasted and Ranked

Learn about how we rate & review beers with our BJCP blind panel here


Cape May Brewing King Porter Stomp (84)

“The smooth notes of natural chocolate in King Porter Stomp are in perfect syncopation with the five different malts that provide the bass line of this robust beast. Medium-bodied with a chocolate aroma, King Porter Stomp is as smooth as jazz.”

Cerebral Brewing Nordic Noir (84)

Foeder Baltic porter brewed with pilsner, Munich II, oats, Caramunich II, and pale chocolate, and hopped with Columbus.

pFriem Family Brewers Rum Barrel Aged Porter (85)

"We age our Imperial Porter for a year in barrels kissed by the Caribbean, giving pFriem’s Rum Barrel Aged Porter notes of chocolate truffles, ripe cherries and vanilla beans. Drink in this captivating brew and taste luscious decadence."

West Sixth Brewing Co Pay It Forward! (86)

“Big and roasty. Cacao nibs lend a chocolate character while providing a unique mouthfeel.”

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. 11th Anniversary (86)

“Baltic porter … lagered in Four Roses and Pinhook Rye barrels for 11 months … conditioned on both coconut and vanilla.”

Four Saints Brewing Potter's Clay (86)

Our take on the American amber: malt-forward caramel sweetness with a bit of hop bite on the back, though not hoppy.

Blackbird Brewery Apothecary Porter (87)

“Brewed with 16 malts. Fermented with lager yeast.”

Elevation Beer Company Little Mo' Porter (87)

“No frills, just like our local ski mountain featuring its namesake run.”

Crooked Stave Coffee Baltic Porter (87)

“Through conditioning our Baltic porter with freshly roasted coffee beans, we strive for a balanced coffee character, adding dark sugar, plums, and cocoa notes to the robust porter base.”

Twin Span Brewing The Davenporter (87)

“Pre-Prohibition porter made with molasses and maize.”

Fonta Flora Brewery Wolf Spit (87)

Collab with Half Acre Brewing. Baltic porter brewed with hickory bark.

Russian River Brewing Co Russian River Porter (88)

"Rich and full bodied with notes of chocolate and roasted malt along with a dry, bitter finish."

Great Lakes Brewing Company Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (88)

"Robust and complex, our Porter is a bittersweet tribute to the legendary freighter’s fallen crew—taken too soon when the gales of November came early."

Foothills Brewing People's Porter (88)

"Ruby-hued with strong upfront notes of chocolate and toffee, People’s Porter finishes strong and flavorful, blending delicious herbal hop flavor and just a hint of espresso."

Wayfinder Beer Gravity Drop Baltic Porter (88)

Deliciously rich, elegant, and warming, with notes of chocolate, fig and caramel.

WeldWerks Chai Baltic Porter (88)

“A Baltic porter brewed with black tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and anise. This is our first Baltic porter, which we lagered (of course) to provide a crisp, clean base beer for showcasing the complex spice profile.”

Liquid Mechanics Brewing Company One Toke Over the Line (88)

“This Baltic-style porter is a balance of chocolate, caramel, smoke, roast.”

Pontoon Brewing Company Battle of the Baltics (88)

“Malty sweet complexity of caramel, toffee nuttiness. Finished off with cocoa nibs.”

Deep Ellum Brewing Co Deep Winter (88)

This wintery golden porter bundles up cozy flavors of cocoa nibs and coffee.

Perrin Brewing Company No Rules 2021 (88)

"NO RULES were followed throughout the creation of this product. This 15% Imperial Porter was made with coconut and turbinado sugar then laid down and aged in bourbon barrels for several months. We hope you enjoy this product as much as we did making it!"

Alaskan Brewing Co. Smoked Porter (89)

“Selected malts smoked in small batches in a commercial smoker using local alderwood.”

Single Hill Brewing Company Osa Minor (89)

“Deep black, dark chocolate, and full roast flavors in a sessionable stout.”

New Belgium Brewing 1554 (89)

“A surprisingly bright taste and a dry, chocolaty finish—one evocative of dark brews enjoyed in Belgian taverns 500 years ago. Not a porter, not a stout—it’s 1554.”

AleSmith Brewing Co AleSmith Porter (90)

“Complex notes of biscuit, caramel, chocolate with a silky mouthfeel and velvety finish.”

Burial Beer Co Slough Water (90)

“Made with barley, oats, triticale, roasted malt. Conditioned on coffee beans.”

Perennial Artisan Ales Pharmacy (90)

This beer reminds us of our favorite watering holes, cool days in August, and Bavarian chocolate chip raisin cookies.

Melvin Brewing Eureka (House of Flying Barrels) Zim Sen (90)

“Baltic porter lagered in Weller bourbon barrels for 14 months.”

Seventh Son Brewing Sextus (90)

A blend of Ardbeg Scotch barrel–aged Oubliette, birch stave–aged Baltic Porter, Big Black Cow, Chester Cop-perpot, and fresh Oubliette and Earthling.

Berthoud Brewing Company Devil's Dunkel (90)

 “Pairs the dark-chocolate malty sweetness of a stout or a porter with the smooth drinkability of a lager.”

Alma Mader Brewing Tamper (2023//Onyx) (91)

“Bold porter. A blend of malts lays a foundation for a beautiful coffee blend.”

Hardywood Baltic Sunrise (91)

“Hardywood Baltic Sunrise is conditioned on locally roasted coffee beans from Black Hand Coffee Company in Richmond, Virginia. Our Baltic porter is an invigorating, full-bodied lager with a bold aroma of freshly brewed coffee preceding notes of bittersweet chocolate, hints of dark cherry, and a malty smooth finish.”

Pondaseta Brewing Co. Sky Pie - Pecan Porter (92)

“Dry, roasty, hints of dark chocolate. We condition it with vanilla beans and finish with pecan. The result is a rich, smooth, pecan pie in a glass.”

Boulder Beer Shake Dark Chocolate Porter (92)

"Using a blend of five different grains, this indulgent porter creates layers of velvety flavors blending notes of cream, cacao nibs, coffee and caramel."

Offset Bier Drawn To the Dark: BBA Baltic Porter (92)

“Triple-mashed Baltic porter lagered eight weeks; laid to rest in six-year bourbon barrels for 13 more months.”

Cellarmaker Brewing Company Best Fiends (92)

"This is a big chewy Porter that focuses on quality malts. This luscious brew has the nose and flavor intensity of an imperial stout but comes in at a reasonable ABV. Best Fiends contains no adjuncts yet is packed with aromas of freshly baked chocolate croissant, graham cracker, cigar tobacco, high percentage cacao, and malted milk ball."

West Sixth Brewing Co Pay it Forward Cocoa Porter (93)

"A big and roasty American Porter with cacao nibs lending a complimenting chocolate character while also providing a unique mouthfeel."

Greater Good Imperial Brew Co Good Night Moon (93)

“Porter with the addition of lactose. Brewed with Chilean coffee and Chilean chocolate malts.”

Wolf's Ridge Brewing Wheelhouse (93)

Rich, dark, and roasty; lagered for six weeks before release.

Dust Bowl Brewing Public Enemy (93)

“Lager yeast makes this big dark beer extremely smooth and chocolaty. It lacks the roast bitterness of a stout but has layers of chocolate, coffee, caramel, perhaps toffee, and a wine-like finish.”

Jack's Abby Framinghammer (93)

“Big, bold, and black. This unusual lager style has many similarities to imperial stouts. A lengthy conditioning period creates a silky-smooth chocolaty mouthfeel enhanced by the use of oats and brown sugar. Noticeable sweetness gets balanced by roasted malt and hops bitterness.”

Phase Three Brewing Blend: 2022 (93)

“A blend of Arabesque and Imperial Porter base aged in bourbon casks, finished in a Cognac cask.

Boise Brewing Snowboarder Porter (94)

“Notes of chocolate, coffee, slight caramel sweetness.”

Burial Beer Co Ulfbehrt Foudre-Aged Baltic Porter (94)

Forged from German and British malts and traditionally lagered in our American oak foeder, our Baltic porter is made with respect for those that came before it.

Bent Water Brewing Company Jolene (94)

“Complex, yet subtle. Dark in color, yet light to drink.”

Guggman Haus Brewing Co. Haus Blend Coffee Milk Stout (94)

“Milk stout brewed with Santa Lucia Reserve Coffee.”

Resident Culture Cold Comfort (94)

“Baltic porter lagered in Henry McKenna bourbon barrels. Collaboration with Bottle Logic.”

Noble Beast Brewing Co. Murder Ballads (94)

“Horizontally lagered for clarity of flavor.”

Dustbowl Brewing Co. Barrel-aged Blend (94)

“A blend of whiskey barrel–aged Great Impression Stock Ale, Soul Crusher, Black Blizzard, and brandy barrel–aged Public Enemy Baltic Porter.”

Incendiary Brewing Company Baltic Porter (95)

Complex Baltic porter exhibiting chocolate and light coffee notes.

Verboten Brewing Killer Boots (95)

“Hybrid-style porter with English malts and caramel added.”

Rockwell Beer Company Kazimierz (95)

Strong, smooth porter fermented cold for a month in stainless before lagering for an additional four months in a Missouri white oak lager foeder.

Loaded Question Brewing Co. The Tartan (95)

A balanced American Porter with notes of coffee, chocolate and a light roasty finish.

Civil Life Brewing Company Porter (96)

“Blend of English and American base malts, English Crystal and roasted malts, English and American hops, London Porter yeast.”

pFriem Family Brewers Rum Barrel Aged Coconut Porter (96)

“Aged in barrels kissed by the Caribbean, providing notes of chocolate truffles, ripe cherries, vanilla.”

Incendiary Brewing Company Smoked Maple Baltic Porter (96)

“Baltic porter brewed with oak-smoked wheat and Vermont maple syrup.”

New Image Brewing Co Cozy Vibes (96)

“Smoked Baltic porter.”

Halfway Crooks Beer Bash (96)

“Mocha coffees. Bittersweet chocolates. Essence of fruit in the malt profile.”

Dovetail Brewery Baltic-Style Porter (97)

Our darkest lager, capped by a large stand of cream-colored foam to showcase deep and rich malt aromas of milk chocolate, raisins, and restrained coffee roast.

Jack's Abby Barrel-Aged Framinghammer (97)

“Big, bold, black, and aged in bourbon barrels. A lengthy conditioning period creates a silky smooth chocolaty mouthfeel enhanced by the use of oats and brown sugar. Noticeable sweetness gets balanced by roasted malt and hops bitterness. Additional flavors include bourbon, vanilla, and oak.”

Bierstadt Lagerhaus Livonia (97)

“Baltic porter. A collaboration with Amalgam.”

Burial Beer Co Lightgrinder (98)

“Deeply black porter with a rich base for a firm usage of citrusy and herbal American hops.”

Maplewood Brewing Company World Outside (99)

“Well-balanced porter with big notes of caramel and chocolate, hints of coffee and toasted malt. Rich and full-bodied.”