Otter Creek Brewing Company's Stovepipe Porter

Well, it pours more like a starkbier than a porter. It's fairly brown, and you can see all the way through the glass, although not too easily. Nice light tan head, but it just looks kind of weak.

Surprisingly substantial smell though. Not very vinous, but instead more like a raw, grainy stout.

Much more of a stout than a porter, although it gets a bit more vinous and a touch peppery in the taste. Very smooth feel to it, almost soft. Moderate bitterness as well, and despite the tannins it seems as much like a stout because the raw grain taste persists.

Good beer. I love stouts, which I guess is why porters always fall short. I try to avoid the direct comparisons, but this one just seems closer to a stout, as opposed to Sierra Nevada's porter, which to me is dead center in the porter category.