It's all good, of course, so the idea of calling one "Best" is to suggest that others are less good, which simply isn't true. But O'Fallon Smoked Porter comes in a very big bottle, which automatically makes it better than most because there's more of it. Plus, it's a huge beer, this rich, dense concoction created locally by Fran and Tony Caradonna, owners of the O'Fallon Brewery in O'Fallon. By nature, porter is a hefty dark, and when smoked malt is added, the result is a beer that tastes like beef
mole. And we aren't alone in praising O'Fallon's smoked porter; it snagged a gold medal at the 2004 Great American Beer Festival in Denver -- no small feat for a modest regional brewery based in the 'burbs. Just as good, in fact, is O'Fallon's seasonal pumpkin ale, available in stores now.