Fullers London Porter

"Get orf me barrer" might possibly have been the cry from a London porter fifty plus years ago, but the London Porter in question today is a little more up to date. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of drinking the cask version of this ale, in a pub in Ealing (see www.realaleblog.co.uk on 4/2/08), not many miles from the brewery. When I saw the bottled version in my local supermarket I had to make that purchase. It's a little unfair to compare the 'real' with the 'pasteurised' but I'm going to do it anyway. This is what I said about the cask version: This beer is nectar! Smoky, malty, not too bitter. I imagine it is what hops on toast would taste ...  Read the complete review

As the nights begin to draw in and it gets colder and colder, I don't want to venture as far after dark as I would in the summer months. The quest is on for a bottled beer (or canned at a push) to keep in the fridge for these "stay at home" nights in front of the fire. We called in at our local Co-op store, on the way home from work, to check out the selection on offer. I wanted something I hadn't tried before so I left behind the Bishops Finger and the London Pride in favour of some Fuller's London Porter. London Porter comes in a 500ml bottle with a black label on the front and neck. You will recognise it by the red Fuller's logo and ...  Read the complete review

The rise and subsequent fall of the Porter style of beer is fascinating. In recent times it is paralleled by the Lager revolution, although it still too early yet to determine if lager's relative decline from the heady heights of the 60s and 70s is permanent or temporary. Porter was not originally brewed as a style of beer at all. It emerged in the 18th century in London as a blended beer, a blend of new and "stale" beers. Stale! Typical, unscrupulous landlords getting rid of their naff brews by mixing it with something that will cover the taste! Well, no actually. Stale in this case does not mean what you might presume. ...  Read the complete review

Fullers London Porter. 5.4% ABV Usually £1.89 for a single bottle. But on the current 4 for 3 deal at Sainsbury's it comes to £1.42 per bottle. London Porter is brewed by Fuller, Smith & Turner Plc at their Griffin Brewery in Chiswick London. Next to the river Thames in their 350 year old brewery which is the oldest in London. It is easilly available from Sainsbury's and probably also from the other main supermarkets. The porter has a smooth, roasty and complex taste. It's quite rich so is more one for a quiet night in than if you want a few more beers. It's colour is very dark, almost black. There is a slight ...  Read the complete review