Now wait just a minute, Heavy Seas Brewing Company of Halethorpe, Maryland. You expect me to believe that your Deep Six Porter is an English-style porter? If so, it’s really not like any English-style porter that I’ve ever had. So, just for fun, I’m going to compare it to Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter, one of my all-time favorite English-brewed examples of the style and a beer Michael Jackson once described as “One of the world’s five best beers.”

Before we go head to head though, a little background is in order. I’ve not seen this beer in stores here in Georgia yet, but ordered up a big mug of it at my local Taco Mac the other day. It was a bit pricey at $6.50 for a pint (20 ounce mug in my case), but not prohibitively so. Here’s what Heavy Seas says about the beer:

Rich, malty, and complex with a surprisingly dry finish, this robust English-style porter is never cloying and wonderfully drinkable. A dense tan head portends the chocolate, roasty, brownie batter flavor. Marris otter barley imported from the UK imparts a deep nuttiness accentuated by the unique english (sic) yeast strain…. The complex balance comes from imported UK target and fuggle (sic) hops, contributing earthy, herbaceous, tea-like notes. The result is a hefty brew that walks the fine line between eminent drinkability and overwhelming flavor impact.

Ingredients:

Hops: UK Target, UK Fuggle
Malts: UK Pale Malt, UK Amber, UK Chocolate, UK Black, Light Crystal, Dark Crystal

So there it is, English malts, English hops, English yeast strain. Where the two beers diverge, however, is strength. Deep Six Porter clocks in at a hefty 6.8% by volume with 25 IBUs, and that’s a lot for a porter folks. Taddy Porter is closer to the norm at 5%. Flavorwise, the two beers are compatible too. Here’s what I thought of the Deep Six:

My mug of Heavy Seas Deep Six Porter arrived an opaque jet black color with a thin creamy tan head formation and a massive, simply massive amount of licorice in the nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a thick full mouthfeel greater than the norm for the style, and powerful notes of chocolate, roasted espresso, and a boatload of licorice. All that is followed up by a huge dry roasty bitter finish with just a hint of herbal grassy English hops.

Here’s what I said about Taddy Porter:

“smooth and chocolaty, a hint of butter, a tad (pun intended) roasty, coffeeish, and gently roasty bitter in the finish…the roast notes combine with licorice and bittersweet chocolate. “

Coffee, chocolate, roasted barley, and certainly licorice are all hallmarks of the style that thee beers have in common. Certainly, Heavy Seas Deep Six Porter is a robust porter while the Taddy is more of a mild porter, but the body and strength of Deep Six are so much greater than the norm that this struck me more like a foreign stout than a porter.

However you want to peg it, I was amazed by this delicious beer and lingered over every gentle pull. It was so delicious that I almost ordered a second mug; sadly time did not permit. Heavy Seas Deep Six Porter is a seasonal beer from January until it's gone. It’s not a beer I would miss if I were you. Which I’m obviously not, but don’t miss it all the same.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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