I’m the one that gave Lee the Smoked Porter. First, I wanted to let you know that I wouldn’t even have bought the sampler pack of O’ Fallon beers had it not been for all the great press you receive from St. Louis area brewers on “The Green Board,” http://www.brewboard.com. The posters on that site from that area spoke so highly of your stuff that I picked some up when I was in the area.

Secondly, I thought your Smoked Porter was great. It was maybe the third smoked beer I’ve had, and is easily my favorite. I didn’t think the smoke was overpowering at all; instead it was right where it clearly adds a different, exciting flavor without overpowering the other characteristics of the porter’s grain bill. It’s definitely a beer I’d put at the top of my list to get the next time I’m somewhere that distributes it.

So: when are you guys going to hook up a distribution deal for TN?

I certainly expected the beer to taste smoky based on the name, label, and comments from the friend who gave it to me. It just turned out to be something I didn’t really enjoy. That’s no fault of the brewer. Smoky just isn’t my thing I guess. So if any of you like smokiness or are interested in a smoked beer, please try an O’Fallon Smoked Porter. I definitely don’t want to talk anyone out of supporting the kind of brewer who sells a smoked porter. That’s exactly the kind of thing that makes craft brewer’s awesome.

Back to the label – earlier today I was thinking about adding an update to this post mentioning that O’Fallon has the highest quality labels on their bottles I have ever seen. It’s like they are vinyl or something. Great stuff.

I’ve got some O’Fallon 5-Day IPA in the fridge now. I’m planning on drinking some during my brew session tomorrow and will post my thoughts here sometime soon. IPA is definitely more my style.

I’d love to try more O’Fallon beer, but I can’t buy them here in Nashville. The 6 people out there who read my blog can feel free to mail me some.

Fortunately for us, the judges at the 2004 Great American Beer Festival did enjoy the subtle smokiness of our beer; and, thus, awarded us with the Gold Medal that year for the Smoked Beer category.

I applaud your continued journey into the wonderful and varied world of beers; and, hopefully, you can find another O’Fallon beer that will suit your tastes.