In our Drink of the Week segment, we’ll showcase one unique type of beer, wine, cocktail — you name it — to try at one of the countless breweries, bars and restaurants from around the basin.

As my new friend Teddy said after he poured this week’s drink: this is an easy, autumn beer. Teddy couldn’t have been more right. This is the type of beer that is tailor-made for riding into town on covered wagon loaded with pumpkins, colored leaves, and inconsistent temperatures – and I couldn’t be any happier drinking it.

As far as porters go, it checks all the boxes with the sniff test. Swirling about the nostrils are hints of dark coffee, nuttiness, and chocolate. But you’d be wrong to think it’s your everyday average porter by smell alone.

The American-style porter has deep, rich tones, but a lighter roast yields for a taste that is not super heavy like many porters can be. All of the bones are there, and each of them provide the exact notes you know and love from a porter, but its easy rider mouth feel allows for the aftertaste to simply drift away like a Dobie Gray song.

The overall feel is one of the smoothest porters I’ve had in a while. It’s like an old west gunslinger that you know is big, bad, and burly by name alone, but when you see them in action you’re surprised by how smoothly they sling that sidearm. That’s maybe an over the top way to just say that everything works together nicely, but hey, it’s way more fun.

The 6.3% ABV sits right in the pocket for a porter, but given the lightness of it, you don’t feel quite as weighted down after slugging one down – which is good news. Just means there’s room for another.

If you want to see for yourself if Teddy’s description holds up, I’d urge you to grab one of these, sit out under the Tahoe sky, listen to the live music, and sip away. It will all make sense.

South of North Brewing is located at 932 Stateline Avenue (next to Basecamp Hotel) in South Lake Tahoe. For more information visit them online at southofnorthbeer.com or by phone at 530-494-9805.