Ninja Porter

Review Date 5/14/2021   By John Staradumsky

  Style: Porter   Brewery: Asheville Brewing   Country: USA   State: North Carolina   $ Per OZ: $.14 (B), $.35 (D)   ABV: 5.6%

When I first moved to the south, Asheville was one of my first beer targets. One of the first breweries I hit when I went there was Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company, aka Asheville Brewing Company. They had great beer and great pizza, and that’s a winning combination no matter how you slice it.

You can imagine, then, my delight in seeing Asheville Brewing Ninja Porter on tap at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino recently. It was the first time I had been there in over a year now that we were fully vaccinated from Covid. I was excited to be playing the slots, but even more excited to see what beers they had on tap, and Ninja Porter did not disappoint. I ordered up a pint at the bar.

The brewery says:

Our World Beer Cup 2014 Gold medal winner & 2018 Bronze medal winner. Roasty, smooth brown porter with all-American hops and malts and a chocolatey finish. There are extremely popular seasonals based off of Ninja Porter including Love Ninja, Ninja Latte Coffee Porter and Ninjabread Man Holiday Porter.

Ingredients from the website:

Malts: Pale, Wheat, Munich, Crystal-40, Chocolate, Roasted Barley

Hops: Mt. Hood, Northern Brewer, Cascade

I enjoyed this beer immensely on tap, and as fate would have it, I saw a six-pack next day at the local beer store. Did I buy it? You just know I did.

Ninja Porter has an alcohol content of 5.6% by volume with 26 IBUs. I paid $6 for my pint including tax, and $9.99 for my six-pack from the beer shop.

Asheville Brewing Ninja Porter pours to a jet-black color with a creamy tan head and a deep roasted barely nose. Taking a sip, the beer is medium to full bodied, deep roasty, and rich with notes of chocolate pudding with the skins on top like mom made. The finish is bitter roasty and satisfying; this is one of the best robust porters I have had in a long time. I’m glad I bought the six-pack, and I will be on the prowl for more-just like a ninja.

Glad I tried it?  T