9 Pound Porter

Another Post from Brother Jim:

With my in-laws still in town, Sister Erin and I got to head out for a date while her parents watched the kids. We tried a new (to us) restaurant: The Copper Hog in Bellingham. The atmosphere was quiet and dark, with a good selection of on-tap brews (the only non-craft brew which I saw was Guinness). We passed on the Snow Cap and selected Georgetown Brewery’s 9 Pound Porter, poured from the tap.

http://www.georgetownbeer.com/products/index.html

The beer was pitch black in the glass. Only by holding it up to the light and looking at an angle at the bottom of the glass (where the light passes through only about a ½ inch of the beer) could we see a glimmer of light. The finger-high head dropped fairly quickly. The carbonation was nice – effervescent at first, then shifting subtly to silky and creamy in the mouth a beat later. It was a good, nourishing porter. The hops were noticeable and pleasant. The coffee characteristics were predominate over the hints of chocolate. A good, tasty porter.

When asked to free associate about the beer, Sister Erin said “dirty sneakers” and “ground up rubber tires on a playground“. The accompanying smile seemed incongruous, so I asked if this was a good thing. She assured me it was; you get dirty on the playground, but you have fun doing it.

On a side note, the Copper Hog served us, by far, the best colcannon either of us could recall having, inside or outside of Ireland. Warm and garlicky, a true comfort food. Definitely worth a visit for those in the area, with a good selection of beers on tap and in bottles:

http://thecopperhog.com/