New Label

Brethern,

Southern Oregon Brewery has relabeled their Porter. I grabbed a bottle at the local grocer yesterday. Now, it's the SOB's Pin-up Porter. There's a winking gal in nylon stocking on the front. It's definitely more eye-catching. Inside, it's the same beer. The changing is nothing more than advertising.

Cheers,

RD

CoCoNut Porter

Brethen,

I have found a new beer and it comes from a can! Last night, I stopped by the local grocer and had a taste for the unique. I eschewed IPAs and dark lagers. I wanted creamy and smooth with a rich taste.

I grabbed a can of CoCoNut Porter by Maui Brewing Co. in an act of faith that the Gods of Beer would place a wonderful concoction inside the can.

The beer was robust. Creamy and smooth with a magnificent head. It had a hint of chocolate and coconut. It was a subtle beer: Not heavy, not too light. I could have well more than the 12 ounce can.

At 5.7 ABV, it was a nice treat on a Monday night.

Try It!

Cheers,

RD

Steam Train Porter

I have been devoted to my keg of beer and haven't had time to sample lately.
I did have a birthday and talked the Mrs into a local little beer shop to pick up a couple selections.
The first was Steam Train Porter from Snoqualmie Falls Brewing. I poured the Mrs a sample, so she could taste and I could observe it in a glass. (who wants to dirty two glasses?).

I sat down with the 22. The color was rich and dark. The aroma built up the anticipation for the beer, with it's dark, warm and smooth smell.
The flavor was great. The Mrs kept refilling her taster glass, saying "this is really good".
I agree, a "typical" porter with rich malts, including brown and chocolate. The beer was great, easy to drink, no sugary tinge and not heavy at all. This beer was great to the end. Pick up a bottle

Flyer’s Pacemaker Porter

Another Post from Brother Jim:

Continuing the happily emerging trend of porters in the Church …

After gaming with some friends last night, we stopped off at the Copper Hog for a beer. The 9lb Porter was gone from the tap menu, replaced by Flyer’s Pacemaker Porter. Always happy to try something new, I decided to give it a shot.

The beer poured an opaque black, with barely any head at all. There was minimal carbonation – enough to know that you were drinking beer, but not much beyond that. Perhaps as a result, the aromas put off weren’t that strong, though what was there was rich and inviting. I expect flavors of chocolate and coffee in a porter, and the Pacemaker leaned so heavily towards the chocolate side of things that I had to check their website when I got home to see if they were adding baker’s chocolate to the brew (they weren’t). It was tasty, but didn’t have enough of that dry, hoppy finish that I cherish in a good porter. A good beer, and worth trying, but not my favorite porter of the season.

http://www.eatatflyers.com

Jim

Big Boss Porter

Brothers and Sisters,

I write to you a fine beer, a unique beer, a polish porter has graced the halls of the Church of Beer. Sister Mars brought home a bottle on Friday. I asked for another bottle on Saturday to share with Brother B. It's a good beer. It's dark and slick with little foam. It's sour cream on the front and sweetness in the end. It hints of chocolate and reminds one of smoke from a fire. It's not heavy. It's creamy and warms your insides well and not unlike it Ukrainian cousins.

Cheers,

RD

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/

Monster Mash

Saturday, while preparing for the Ritual Of Football, I stopped at the local grocer to stock my pantry. Siting on the shelf next to Southern Oregon Brewing's Porter, was Monster Mash made by Lompoc . It's seemed a perfect pairing for the ritual.

Monster Mash is an Imperial Porter. It has a rich and robust taste. It is smokey and swarthy, a beer to be consumed on a dark and stormy day next to a crackling fire. It's a big beer without being overwhelming, a beer to compliment burgers or beef stew.

Bring a Monster home today,

RD

An SOB Porter

Brethern,

Listen to my words, an S.O.B. can be a blessing. An S.O.B. Porter is even better. Dry and savory, the porter is a beer brewed to eat with beef. It's not a big beer. It's balanced. It's smooth hinting of smokiness. It's not layer in a taste of coffee or chocolate. It's not a dessert beer. It's tasty.

Find an S.O.B. near you.

Cheers,

RD