It's true that I didn't love the first beer that I tried from Long Brewing. I thought the IPA was kind of boring, especially when considering the lofty price of $12/bottle. Imagine my disappointment, then, when I opened the porter a month later and tasted a sour, skunked beer. A $12 drain-pour. Ouch. I was mad. I considered writing a scathing review of a porter-gone-bad, but gave it a second thought and shot off an email to Paul Long asking if I could exchange the ruined bottle for a new one. I wanted to be fair and taste it properly -- as it was meant to be tasted. I sent it from my personal address; I was also curious to see if Long Brewing would stand behind their product and do the "right thing" for a consumer nobody. I got a reply back from Paul the same night, and met him while he was in Portland making deliveries the following week. He not only gave me a new bottle of porter, but sent me off with a bottle of his blonde ale as well. Awesome. So. Worth $12? This one might be. It was smooth and roasty, a little sweet, with a really nice balance of chocolate and coffee flavors -- everything that a porter should be, in my opinion. Maybe I'm biased because I had such a nice experience with Paul, or because I wanted it to be good, or because I drank it on my birthday (and what doesn't taste good on your birthday?). All I know is that I really enjoyed it, and will buy another bottle the next time I see it on the shelf.