Spiteful God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter

Brewed By: Spiteful Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Batch #223)

Style/ABV: American Porter, 8.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

Mmmmm coconuts. About Spiteful: 

Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars. For more info, check out Spiteful's website, or their Facebook or Twitter. 

The God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter is without a website page, but the bottle reads: "Pigeons gone wild! After a late night at the pub we flipped on the boob tube only to see those god damn pigeons flaunting their assets. We knew we had to get our hands on those coconuts for our porter. Beads were the answer, so we stuffed our bags with with 'em and headed south. The play worked like a charm. Brewed with toasted coconut, this pigeon porter will have you thinking you live on the god damn equator." 

Spiteful God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter

This pours into your typical dark, cola-black body, with a finger of tan head. What is there to say about porters and stouts these days that hasn't been said.

The aroma on this is a nice fusion of coffee, chocolate, cocoa, toasted sweetness, and layers of complex roast. It's not a super complex beer, and I'm not getting much coconut in the aroma. BUT, it smells really good for what it is, and the aroma is bold with aggressive coffee, chocolate sweetness, and roast.

You do get some nice coconut in the taste, which is what I was looking for. This drops a rich mouthfeel with tons of chocolate and coffee, and then the back palate bombs you with sweet toast, complex roast, and layers of coconut. The coconut stays in the realm of sliced coconut with some toasted coconut, and never veers into pastry la-la-land like some more complex or barrel-aged beers do. And that's okay.

This is a full-bodied beer that coats your mouth and has satisfying duration. At 8.2%, this feels bigger than it is, and consequently hides a lot of the alcohol. Palate depth is good, and this has good complexity. Up front is a lot of coffee and chocolate; the mids roll into coconut, dark fruit sweetness, and layers of roast; the back end trails with roast, coffee, shredded coconut, toasted coconut, and tons of yummy toasted notes. This is a good blend of an American-style Porter with coconut, and works well.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'll toss this a Strong Above-Average. Spiteful continues to do well with their God Damn Pigeon line of beers, and I'm happy that I picked this up. This isn't the most coconut beer I have had, but there is definitely coconut in the taste and it plays well with the strong base Porter. I could see myself buying another bottle to just sip on or pair with some coconut chocolate cake.

Random Thought: I hate not having laundry machines in-unit, ahhhh!!!

Stillwater Brontide

Brewed By: Stillwater Artisanal at Dog Brewing Co. in Westminster, MD  

Purchased: 12oz can from a 6-pack bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Black Ale, 5.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

What, Stillwater is doing Black Ales now? About Stillwater Artisanal Ales: 

Stillwater Artisanal Ales are a Gypsy Brewery based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 2009-ish, the beer is brewed by Brian Strumke. You can find more info at the brewery's blog or their website. 

The Brontide is "a smooth black ale with mild roast and a soft Trappist yeast character." The beer pours into a dark brown, roooooby red body, kicking up a couple of fingers of lightly tan head. It looks like a Dry Stout or Porter...there's good lacing, appropriate carb, and all that good stuff.

Stillwater Brontide

This definitely has the Trappist yeast character...it's very mild...like a diluted Rochefort 10. I'm getting a lot of subtle coffee notes, hints of dark fruits and figs/grapes, some toasted sweetness ala a Brown Ale or sweet dark lager, and lots of earthy notes. This has some pretty nice earthy notes and deep roast, which is nice for the lower ABV. 

The taste basically follows through with the aroma. It's a nice, simple, dry, clean beer...the Trappist yeast is dialed down into the 5% format, but it tastes like a toned down Rochefort 10. I'm getting a lot of coffee, ash, deep roast, and some subtle dark fruit notes. It's high on the yeast character, followed by the dark roasty malts.

This is a solid beer for 5%. It has good palate depth and duration, and pulls off a medium-light mouthfeel. The finish is dry, the beer is well carbonated, and you want to keep sipping. It has okay complexity as well. Again, up front this is all about the roast and yeast, with some ashy notes and coffee; the mids roll into more coffee, toasty sweetness, more roast, fruity notes; the back end finishes dry with lingering goodness. Not bad, Stillwater, not bad.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. It pretty much does what it says it is going to do...gotta say, I would buy this again, if only because it comes in a 6-pack and seems to pair well with red meats and chocolaty foods. Not bad. 

Random Thought: The use of the Trappist yeast at the lower ABV is an interesting twist.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Porter, 5.2%
Reported IBUs: 30

The best part about hosting a party is being left with a fridge full of shelf turds. About Deschutes:

The Deschutes Brewing Company was founded by Gary Fish on June 27th, 1988, when they opened the doors to their Bond Street Public House pub. The brewery has since expanded, growing to be one of the top craft beer producers in America. The brewery also operates a pub in Portland, and has a dedicated brewing facility overlooking the Deschutes river. For more information, check out the brewery's website; their Facebook page; their Twitter; or Wikipedia. 

The Black Butte Porter is Deschutes' flagship beer, brewed with Cascade, Bravo, and Tettnang hops; and features Pale, Carapils, Chocolate, Crystal, and Wheat malts. 

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

This looks very much like an American Porter...coffee black with brown tones, a mocha-tan head that is leaving tons of lacing and has good retention. Appearance doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things, but the production suggests that Deschutes knows how to roll out and execute these simple styles (they do).

The aroma on this doesn't lean towards the heavy roast, but there are some nice coffee notes and a little hint of baker's chocolate. What's interesting about this aroma is the yeasty esters, as this has hints of banana...like...banana Runts. There's some other fruity esters I can't quite place, and lots of dusty coffee and cocoa notes. It smells fairly sweet as well.

This is sweet, easy-going, and fairly straightforward. It reminds me of a Milk Stout in some regards, with sugary-but-not-quite-lactose sweetness, lots of coffee, creamer, hints of vanilla, and lots of fruity esters that hint at bananas, berries, and some toffee sweetness. 

With a medium-body, good palate depth, and moderate complexity...I'm gonna say this is very much par the course. The sweet notes up front, yeasty esters, and coffee mids give way to nice subtle roast, creamer, chocolate, dark fruits, toffee, and berries. But it's nothing stand-out-ish, just very solid bang for buck.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. Not really a slight against this beer...but this once staple has a few other classics that can contend, including Great Lakes Edmund Fitz. I am happy to see it in the Midwest, and even happier to see it in my dad's fridge, but this probably wouldn't make it into my rotation. 2real4me. 

Random Thought: Black Butte reminds me of Black Betty all day. 

Sierra Nevada Porter

Brewed By: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California 
Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2014 Snowpack purchased at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled on 10/03/2014)
Style/ABV: American Porter, 5.6%

Reported IBUs: 32

DAE Cerro Nevarros? I do. For $14.99 the 2014 Snowpack was too cheap to pass up. This year's Snowpack features their Porter, Pale Ale, Boomerang IPA, and Coffee Stout. About Sierra Nevada:

Sierra Nevada are one of the big players in craft brewing, and one of the first craft breweries to arrive on the craft beer scene. If you check out their history page, you will see that founder Ken Grossman began his quest to build a brewery in 1976. In 1980, Ken Grossman and co-founder Paul Camusi brewed their first batch of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. According to Wikipedia, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is the second best selling craft beer behind Boston Lager. Sierra Nevada is the sixth largest brewing company in the United States as well, cranking out over 750,000 barrels in 2010. For more info, check out their website.

The Sierra Nevada Porter has been around for a while. This beer is brewed with Aurora and Yakima Golding hops, and a malt base of Two-row Pale, Munich, Chocolate, Caramel, Black & Carafa. This one is available year-round, and is a classic example of the style.

Sierra Nevada Porter

As you'd expect, this pours into a ruby-red/brown body, kicking up a finger of caramel tinged head. Brown Ale or Porter, take a guess. There's good lacing...carbonation...blah blah.

The aroma here is actually really good. There's a lot of deep toasty notes, nuttiness, and lots of lightly roasted coffee. I'm getting a lot of hazelnut, light wood, light earth/tobacco, and some really nice dark grains. The aroma is not muddled, and stands out boldly.

The taste is a good extension of the nose: there are rich dark grains present, with lots of coffee, hazelnut, toasted notes, a good amount of woody/earthy/tobacco/chocolate notes, and some grassy hops. 

This is a very straightforward and classic example of a Porter, but the execution here is top-notch stuff. Like many of Sierra Nevada's beer, this one could serve as a standby or a regular fridge stuffer. This is medium bodied, with spot-on carbonation, good palate depth, and good complexity. The carbonation is what you'd expect from a Porter, Brown Ale, Dry Stout, or regular American Stout. It's really a fantastic beer, with lots of coffee and hazelnut up front; some chocolate and earthy tobacco in the mids; and more coffee and some hops in the back. I could drink this shit all day long, and at 5.6% you should.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. What a fantastic beer....I really like Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, Stout, Porter, and Hefe. You have to hand it to Sierra Nevada, they know how to roll out these classic styles. The sweeter coffee notes in this porter beg to be paired with some pork. I'm thinking dried ribs or a pork roast. You could also pair this with some beef ribs or beef brisket. Yum.

Random Thought: I <3 Winter Beers. 

Spiteful God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter

Brewed By: Spiteful Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (Batch #166)

Style/ABV: American Porter, 8.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

As my significant other would say, "It's peanut butter jelly time." About Spiteful: 

Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars. For more info, check out Spiteful's website, or their Facebook or Twitter. 

The God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter is without a website page, but the bottle provides a detailed description: "Normally we HATE gossip, but listen to this. Colin told us the Raspberry Pigeon and Pirate Pigeon were getting hot and heavy at the Chocolate Banana Pigeon's party. In fact, we heard they GOT IT ON! What you hold in your hands is their love child, bearing notes of peanut butter and tart raspberry. Unfortunately, this means more F-ing pigeons!"

Spiteful God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter 

This pours out like a Stout/Porter, but the head crackles away into something reminiscent of cola. The body has those rooooby rad tones, and this is surprisingly thick all things considered. To me, this beer is oily and Stout-like, not like your typical light porter affair. 

On the aroma: peanut butter and jelly. Wow. Spiteful nailed this one on the nose. The peanut butter is really coming through the nose with assertive force. I'm getting some Porter-y notes, but they hint at bread crust, whole wheat bread, and cafeteria peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The jam is descriptive and raspberry. If you've had a lot of beer and know the ingredients, you can deconstruct this into notes of roast, fruit, and coffee...but honestly, this smells like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The secondary thing I'm getting on the aroma is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  

Oh wow. This is fantastic. This is an amazing fusion of peanut butter and jelly on a relatively non-intrusive Porter backdrop. Again, if you drink a lot of beer you'll be able to deconstruct some of the base with its roast, coffee, and cocoa notes...but then the beer goes all Ken Griffey and slams you with legit peanut butter, Reese's peanut butter candies, and jelly. This tastes like peanut butter and jelly. The raspberry notes in here are constrained and nicely done. This isn't too sweet or too thick...it's just right. 

I give a lot of love to Pipeworks, but Spiteful have been flying under the radar for whatever reason. This is a perfect example of a fantastic, local, Chicago beer. At 8.2% this is medium-bodied, well carbonated, and surprisingly refreshing and drinkable. I think a lot of that falls on the raspberry addition. This has fantastic palate depth for a Porter. Porters sometimes fall of in one area of the palate or another...this one provides a full ride without cheating (it's not Stout-like). This also has good complexity. If you can't tell, I'm quite smitten with this beer. It's a nice progression with raspberry, roast, and coffee up front; the essence of the Porter then shifts into huge peanut butter, with peanut butter, Reese's candies, and more jelly; the back end just dials up the peanut butter and jelly, with hints of bread fusing the two flavors together. The finish lingers the P&J with some hints of coffee and roast. It finishes clean too.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Strong Above-Average on this. Not only does it deliver the promised peanut butter and jelly that is advertised on the bottle, BUT it is also a really good Porter. I'm not a huge Porter guy...I prefer the denser, bigger, roastier, Imperial Stouts. But this is really working for me. This is clean and drinkable...but flavorful and expansive. I would pair this beer with a gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Or maybe a Monte Cristo. Dammit, now I want a Monte Cristo. 

Random Thought: I realize the irony of me giving high marks to an adjunct Porter after I submitted the DDB article about bitch palates to Reddit. Oh well. Ain't no shame in being a hypocrite. 

Deschutes Black Butte XXVI (26th Birthday Reserve)

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014 (2014 Vintage - "Best after 06/16/15")

Style/ABV: American Porter, 10.8%
Reported IBUs: ?

I have been busy!!! Who knew that graduate school orientation could be so time consuming. I'm ready to crack into a beer. This one is dubbed an "ale brewed with pomengranate molasses with 50% aged in bourbon barrels blended with ale with cocoa nibs and cranberry added." About Deschutes:

The Deschutes Brewing Company was founded by Gary Fish on June 27th, 1988, when they opened the doors to their Bond Street Public House pub. The brewery has since expanded, growing to be one of the top craft beer producers in America. The brewery also operates a pub in Portland, and has a dedicated brewing facility overlooking the Deschutes river. For more information, check out the brewery's website; their Facebook page; their Twitter; or Wikipedia. 

The Black Butte is an ongoing release/series: this 26th anniversary Imperial Porter was aged in bourbon barrels and dry spiced with "Theo Chocolate's" cocoa nibs. This also features pomengranate molasses and Oregon cranberries. The malt bill includes: Pale, Wheat, Midnight Wheat, Chocolate, Crystal; the hops are Millennium, Cascade, US Tettnang. Special ingredients include the Theo Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Pomegranate Molasses, and Cranberries. This was blended with 50% beer barrel-aged for 6 months in bourbon barrels.

Deschutes Black Butte XXVI 

This one pours into an opaque, but cola-black body, kicking up two fingers of tan head. There is nice lacing here, along with some alcohol legs...and head retention is pretty good. It looks pretty much how'd you expect...so Zzzzz

On the aroma: chocolate-bourbon, wood, bourbon, some whiskey-raisin sweetness, big molasses, and cherry-chocolate/cranberry-chocolate/pomengranate-chocolate. There are some silky vanilla undertones on the aroma, along with coffee, and lots of cranberry.

This is most definitely thrown for a loop by the fruit...I can't agree with the reports calling this sour -- I think acidic or tart-fruity are better descriptors. This has big notes of cranberry, cherry, and pomengranate, with overtly fruity and sweet notes that play off the whiskey-raisin sweetness, bourbon, wood, and chocolate/coffee. You get some nice coffee notes in here, whiskey-raisin, and chocolate covered pomengranate candies. I wouldn't exactly call this subtle.

If you like overtly sweet beers...this is going to make you happy. This is medium to full-bodied, with a substantial palate duration and very little in the way of complexity. You'd think this would unravel with more mystery given the barrel and fruit additions, but this mostly just dials up fruity sweetness, molasses, and faint chocolate/bourbon/coffee notes. Honestly, the porter base here really takes a back seat. This does mask the alcohol well, and I'm not getting booze. I am, however, getting sugar. Up front: pomengranate, cherries, sweet candies, molasses, cranberries; the mids roll into chocolate-pomengranate, chocolate-cranberries, and more sweet notes, with some whiskey-raising sweetness; the back end hits a little bourbon, oak, coffee, chocolate, but mostly finishes with more sweet candy notes. This is like the exact opposite of the Abyss. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here. I actually don't mind the tart and fruity notes here, what is throwing me for a loop is the intense candy sweetness. I guess this beer would work as a dessert drink, and maybe that was the intention. I'm curious how this will taste with a few years of age on it, and I wonder if next year they should let the porter base stand out a little bit more.

Random Thought: It's cold out! For the first time all year, it really feels like Autumn outside.

5 Rabbit Yodo Con Leche

Brewed By: 5 Rabbit Cerveceria in Bedford Park, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer, 8.2%

Reported IBUs: 38

These Summer nights and running [X miles] followed by drinking [Y Imperial Stout] is apparently becoming a thing. And I'm okay with it. It's not like I just mowed a lawn. I swear...I still love wheat beers. About 5 Rabbit Cerveceria: 

5 Rabbit Cerveceria is an Illinois-based craft brewery launched in 2011. The brewery has a unique perspective, focusing on Latin-themed craft beer. The company is lead by CEO Andrés Araya, Creative Director Randy Mosher, and brewmaster (and former Goose Island employee) John J. Hall. For more info about the brewery, check out their Facebook or their website. 

The Yodo Con Leche is an "Imperial Porter brewed with milk caramel and Costa Rican Coffee" The bottle reads: 

"A Costa Rican slang term for coffee, "Yodo" means something rich, dark and intense-a perfect name for this distinctive beer. We use "Finca Agrícola Cafetal" coffee beans from Lourdes de Cirrí de Naranjo, Costa Rica, custom roasted by Gaslight Coffee Roasters for the freshest, smoothest flavor. We combine this with Argentine dulce de leche (milk caramel), three caramel malts, three dark malts including chocolate rye, and finally oatmeal, creating several layers of creamy chocolatey roasted character.""

Yeah, you read that right...this is a malt bomb, brewed with Costa Rican coffee. The exact malt bill includes 2-Row, Caramel, Roasted Wheat and Rye malts, and Patagonia C-120. This also has the Dulce de Leche (milk caramel) and Costa Rican coffee. The hops here include Pilgrim and Summit, and this one is finished with dem English yeasts. It sounds like the coffee is a late addition, post-fermentation, steeped in some of the beer and then blended into the final result. I'm excited, are you?

5 Rabbit Yodo Con Leche

In true Porter-but-not-Imperial-Stout fashion, this one pours into a mostly black and mostly opaque body, but in reality you catch some brown tones and this is slightly transparent around the edges. The beer kicks up a finger or two of mocha-brown, coffee-infused head. The beer generally looks the same in bright or low light. Head retention here is nice...courtesy of all the proteins and malts. Swirling the beer kicks up sex in the glass, and there's nice lacing and alcohol legs. It's a good looking beer...I say that rarely, so prepare your fap chamber.

Damn...I really love coffee beers. I can't emphasize that enough. Really, really, love coffee beers. This has sweet aromatics and with rich coffee overtones. It smells more like a coffee bean shop than a Starbucks, with sweet and earthy coffee beans emerging as the dominating aroma. I'm getting sweet, earthy coffee beans, mocha, huge espresso and coffee creamer (like the canned energy drink espresso), ash, and earthy hazelnut. This plays up the hazelnut as you sink into the aroma, and I'm getting a ton of vanilla and caramel sugars too. I'd say this aroma leans towards the sweeter, earthy, unprocessed side of coffee...and that's not a bad thing.

This is blissfully drinkable, and the flavors mirror the aroma with huge hazelnut, caramel, vanilla sweetness, earthy ash and ground coffee, raw coffee beans, and big espresso with creamer. At times this reminds me of chewing on a chocolate-dipped coffee bean, with hints of chocolate-caramel and caramel-vanilla sweetness. You have to wonder how this beer would taste aged in a barrel; preferably a bourbon barrel. Probably well, as I answer my own question. For whatever reason, this one avoids the lactose sugar notes...I'm getting a lot of sweetness here, but it's well balanced by measured levels of roast. This is truly a balanced, well-made beer.

I'm really surprised by the lack of love, hype, and reviews for this beer. Apparently no one gives a fuck about Randy Mosher's epic brewery thing, but whatever. This is a medium-bodied beer, but it is creamy and smooth...so smooth. This drinks like a Milk Stout in every way possible, and sort of rides the line between medium and full. I'm not getting any of the 8.2%, which is a good thing. Palate depth is great, especially for a Porter. And this is very complex. Really, this is one of the most memorable Porters I have had in recent memory. Up front: caramel sugars, sweet coffee, espresso, vanilla, creamer, mocha, hazelnut; the mids roll into huge hazelnut, with earthy and ashy coffee, caramel-vanilla, some roast; the back end trails with roast, more ashy/earthy coffee and coffee beans, and tons of lingering residual sugars. This is sticky and unashamed about it. It's basically a coffee Sweet Stout dubbed an Imperial Porter. Pretty good.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here...almost reaching that divine brew plateau. I'd have to revisit this to commit to a divine brew rating, but this is clearly one of the best things that 5 Rabbit has made. I do recommend seeking this out if you can find it on the shelves. There's not much else to say...I think you could pair this with burgers, coffee-braised beef or pork, pork chops, gamy meets, and maybe even some Thai or Indian food. The sweeter notes in this beer seem like they'd compliment a curry dish. Obviously this would work with chocolate desserts, vanilla ice cream, or breakfast as well.

Random Thought: I should probably mention that I will be going to graduate school soon...within the next two months. How that will effect my blogging or beer purchasing remains to be seen, but what is for sure is that I'll be on a tighter budget. It may be back to 6-packs and the occasional bomber. I can't say I'm thrilled about that, but I'm not even 1000 beers into my beer-drinking journey. I have so much to learn, still. So much to see. I doubt I am going to be bored with beer anytime soon...even boring shelf turds. But stay tuned, I guess.

Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers

Brewed By: Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Porter, 5.9% 
Reported IBUs: 53

Tonight's beer was just sitting on shelves, saying "tick me, bro." I've already dabbled wit Stone's Smoked Porter, which is really good. The Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans is even better. About Stone:

Stone Brewing are one of the more prominent breweries in the American craft brewing scene. They were founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California, and moved to Escondido, California where they recently expanded their operations. Stone was founded by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch. Koch has a reputation among the craft beer community for voicing his opinion, not putting up with shit, and standing behind his beer. Also...farking woot and fizzy yellow beer is for bitches. 

The Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers is the brainchild of Chris Carroll, who in 2006, suggested producing a one-off version of the Stone Smoked Porter brewed with the addition of chipotle peppers. Stone describes this beer as a "deep, roasty quaff," which is also how I describe going down on Serena Williams. Let's get this into a glass and do that adjunct bench press. 

Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers

This one pours out like a Porter or Brown Ale. The shocker here is the three-fingers plus of dense, sustaining head. The head takes on root beer float consistency, and has that cola-brown color. The body of the beer is also hinting towards a dark brown or ruby red in low light. In bright light the beer is a just slightly hazy reddish-orange color, it's kind of murky and swampy, like port side storage containers. The head is hanging around, and there be lacing ahead. 

This one smells surprisingly sweet from the onset. I'm getting big toast, dusty cocoa, lactose chocolate, nuttiness, nutty coffee, hazelnut, and coffee sweetness. There's also an earthy element to the coffee aroma which is nice. There's a hint of earthy ash and smoke on the aroma as well. Noteably absent on this beer's aroma is the smell of chipotle or pepper. I'm not getting any in the aroma. If you handed this to me blind and told me to judge it based on aroma alone, I'd be SOL. 

Mild spice is the name of the game here, with tingly chipotle massaging the sides of your tongue and building towards a peppery finish that drops salty jalapenos, green peppers, and chipotle goodness on the back of your throat. It's a blast of refined and constrained pepper to your tonsils, if you still have them. The base beer is given plenty of room to do its thing, with lots of Brown Ale/Porter-esque goodness. There's plenty of toast, caramel, cocoa, sweet chocolate, nuttiness, and subtle coffee notes at work here. The peppery heat is a nice counterpoint to this beer's somewhat one-dimensional sweetness, but those are the ropes in Porter country. 

As a general rule of thumb, I am better than everyone. People complaining about this beer's heat are wrong and should try some of Stone's Crime. People complaining about this being too light should note that this is a gentle beer, really. The 5.9% goes undetected, and I'd almost dare say this is pretty accessible both in terms of drinkability and sessionability. I don't want to jump the gun on potential food pairings, but this beer seems like it would really go well with some chocolate cake, mole sauce, bacon, chili, clam chowder (per Stone's website), ribs, grilled meats, and big ass burgers. It's kind of a foodie beer, certainly a beer with purpose. It's the adjuncts. Anyway...palate depth and complexity are both pretty good, and this one has that medium-light mouthfeel with nice carbonation and tingly pepper heat that moves things along. If there was ever a case for Ales > Dunkler Bocks, this beer might be it. Up front: rich cocoa, dusty chocolate, nuttiness, coffee; the mids roll into more cocoa and coffee, toast, growing pepper heat; the back end continues with the cocoa, nuttiness, earthy coffee, ash, and big green pepper, jalapeno, and chipotle show up to punch the back of your throat. I'm digging this.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a very Strong Above-Average. This is the perfect example of how you can balance adjuncts against a really solid base beer. Both the Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers and the Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean are an improvement over the base beer, in my humble opinion. This is a somewhat mild and manageable beer, but I suspect it will really work with the aforementioned food pairings. If you appreciate pepper heat, check this beer out. Yeah, it's somewhat spicy. But it's nothing like the abominations that Crime and Punishment are. This is a solid Porter, and you could do much worse at around $5.99~7.99 per bomber.

Random Thought: I debated drinking this tonight because I picked up some hoppy beers that I don't want to camp on for too long, but I think I made the right choice. I'm not sure how chipotle peppers hold up with time, but I have to image they drop off. 

Surly Smoke Lager

Brewed By: Surly Brewing in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Purchased: 1 Pint 9.4oz (25.4oz) GRAY WAXED bottle bought at Whole Foods in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled 2013)

Style/ABV: Smoked/Baltic Porter/Oak Aged Smoked Baltic Porter, 8.2%

Reported IBUs: 50

Baltic Porters are the weird step-cousins of Imperial Stouts. These non-hoppy, malt bombs of a Lager are similar in style to both English Brown Porters and Schwarzbiers. The style was traditionally brewed by countries bordering the Baltic Sea, and is most similar to English Porters but was influenced by Russian Imperial Stouts. Tonight's beer takes the Baltic Porter format, and ratchets it up a few notches. About Surly Brewing: 

The Surly Brewing company is a brewery based out of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The brewery was founded in 2005 by long time homebrewer Omar Ansari with the help of Todd Haug (Minneapolis's Rock Bottom Brewery). For more info, check out the brewery's about page.

Tonight's beer, the Surly Smoke Lager, is massive in all the ways that matter. The bottle (and website) reads: "Ebony-hued, Smoke wafts out of the bottle and into your senses, borne on the wings of European traditions, wrapped in American innovation. Lager-brewed, like any true Baltic Porter, with smoked malts from Bamberg, Germany, the home of Rauchbiers, then mellowed by oak-aging. Black malt flavors mesh with notes of raisins, plums, figs and licorice with the subtle smoke on the side, for a complex and luxurious, yet silky smooth drinking experience. It's a sipper at Alc. 8.2% by VOL., but everyone knows you can't have Smoke without fire!" This one features Pale Ale, Smoked, Black, and Oat malts; it uses Warrior hops; the beer is fermented using German Lager yeast; and the beer is aged in or on oak. At 8.2% ABV and 50 IBUs, this one is sort of within the style guidelines.

Surly Smoke Lager

The Surly Smoke pours into an opaque, dark black/brown/reddish body, and kicks up three fingers of pretty dark mocha/brown head. There's a centimeter of hazy head hanging around, probably courtesy of the oats. Bright light confirms the same stuff...I'm okay calling this beer dark brown. It's opaque as they come.

The aroma here is big Bamberg/beechwood smoked malts, meats, ham/bacon, cherrywood, sauna, and dusty cocoa. SWIRL THIS BEER! When you swirl the beer in the glass, you unlock the mystery of dark grains, coffee, molasses, dark fruits, cherries, fruity alcohol, and big oak sweetness. The oak sweetness is woody and nutty and reminds me of the Two Brothers Atom Smasher.

The taste is intense, with big Rauchbier-esque smoked malts. I'm picking up beechwood, sauna, dark grains, cherries and boozy dark fruits, and layers of oak/wood/booze. Between all the smoke and fruity booze is some hints of molasses, coffee, and chocolate. There's a mild salty character here too.

This isn't as complex as I was expecting it to be...but that is not a serious knock against the beer. The beer is medium to full-bodied, depending heavily on the temperature that you drink it at. As it warms up, it starts to thicken up. The mouthfeel has added sustenance thanks to the low levels of carbonation. At 8.2% this is very drinkable, but you do get some nice, subtle booze in this. It adds a layer of needed complexity, and goes well with the dark malts and smoke. This is a Lager through and through, so a lot of the complexity comes from the malts, smoke, and oak. Speaking of: Up front is rich sweetness, dark fruits, molasses, chocolate, cocoa powder, coffee, and smoke; the mids roll into big sauna, beechwood, cherry wood, coffee, legit Bamberg Rauchbier-esque smoked malts, meaty hints, smoke, oak/bourbon/whiskey, more dark fruits; the back continues to bounce between oak/alcohol/bourbon/oak/dark fruits/etc. There is lingering molasses and smoke. The finish isn't super dry or sweet...very clean...hints of Lager spice. Like a Lager should be.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Decent Above-Average for me. I enjoy the boozy fruits, coffee, and subtle oak that elevate this beer above just being a smoked Baltic Porter. It's a very well-made, clean beer too. It's kind of...like...an embodiment of Surly, to be honest. They make aggressive but clean beers that you can quaff all night long. I'd maybe pick this beer up again...it's hard to say with the $17 or $18 price tag. Food pairings here are pretty much smoked meats, bacon, BBQ sandwiches, chili, strong cheeses, ribs, burgers, and yeah. This is good stuff. Also, dat bottle art/wax. 

Random Thought: For whatever reason, this week just keeps going on and on. It's like the longest week ever.

Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break

Brewed By: Evil Twin Brewing (Westbrook Brewing) in Copenhagen/Brooklyn

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout/Porter, 11.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is the definition of excess. An 11.5%, "Imperial Porter," brewed with coffee and natural flavors. Doughnuts? Mmm, doughnuts. About Evil Twin: 

Evil Twin is a Gypsy Brewery founded by founded by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø (brother of Mikkel Borg Bjergsø) in 2010. Like his twin brother Mikkel, Jeppe is a teacher, and a homebrewer who was tired of the mainstream offerings. In 2004, Mikkel went off to pursue brewing, while Jeppe opened up a bottle shop. In 2010, while teaching a homebrewing, Jeppe decided to sell and distribute the beer he was brewing via his bottle shop. Jeppe moved to New York in 2012. For more info, check out this interview/history here. 

The Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break is part of the Biscotti Break series. I love the Imperial Biscotti Break and the Imperial Biscotti Break Natale, so I'm expecting good things tonight. The back of the bottle reads:

"Did Imperial Biscotti Break also make your sugar levels rise and the bitter sweet flavors of coffee, almonds, and chocolate very sentimental - now we topped it off with insane amounts of doughnuts. This all time American favorite is making it's way back into the spotlight and we at Evil Twin Brewing are not letting a tasty trend pass us by without taking it to the next level. Drink it with great gusto - Forza Doughnuts."

Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break

This "dry-doughnuted" beer pours out exactly like its aforementioned peers: pitch black and opaque in body, with a finger of creamy/dense, mocha-brown head. Bright light confirms the same. Head retention is actually okay with a centimeter of sea foam coverage hanging around, and glossy alcohol legs and mocha residual coat the sides of the glass when you swirl this.

I'm into the aroma and I haven't made a single glazed joke yet. That in itself is worthy of some sort of accolade. The aroma is massive and complex, with huge coffee, chocolate, chocolate Long Johns, espresso, ash/dirt, dark fruits, booze, tobacco, woody intensity, and doughnuts. There's a lot going on in the aroma, between the coffee and intense roast/chocolate and doughnut sweetness.

Like the regular Imperial Biscotti, this beer is massive and chewy and bad for your diabetus. I don't even want to know how many calories this is doing me in for. Right up front is a huge blast of rich baker's chocolate, tobacco, doughnut thickfreakness, ash, earthy roast, and roast. I'm picking up a ton of coffee, earthy ash, roast, and creamy espresso in here. As I really camp on this beer, I'm getting some hints of dark fruits -- namely raisins and cherries -- and there's plenty of booze in here. This is somewhat potent. Way in the mix is some almonds and biscotti. What surprises me about this beer is how earthy it is up front. The doughnuts impart a tobacco note and it is dense and wowza. 

I'm still not sure if this is better than the regular Imperial Biscotti...that beer is just divine. I do like this though. It's a full-bodied beer, with a thick and chewy mouthfeel. There's tons of residual sweetness and sugar that will coat your mouth, but this isn't a Southern Tier beer. You do pick up on some of the alcohol, but at 11.5% I would kind of expect that. Palate depth is really good, and complexity is outstanding. Up front: roast, ash, earthy coffee, coffee, doughnuts, Long Johns, and HUGE tobacco. The mid-palate hits a sweet doughnut note with chocolate, baker's chocolate, dark fruits, woody notes, and velvety smooth espresso. The back end features lingering coffee, lingering tobacco, ash, and some lingering dark fruits and alcohol. The finish is pretty clean for an 11.5% diabetus cumshot Stout. Gonzo style. Ladies. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is about on par with the Natale, but not as good as the regular Imperial Biscotti. Curiosity is getting the better of me, and I really want to see how the barrel-aged version of the Imperial Biscotti tastes, but I digress. Don't pair this beer with food...not even dessert. This beer has enough calories to serve as dessert. If you must, pair it with ice cream like a 4-year old, or pair it with a nice earthy cigar. I don't remember how much this cost, and it's probably better that way.

Random Thought: Seriously though, I think the only variant of this I haven't had is the Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Biscotti...I passed up on a bottle because of the price, but I may have to try it. 

Mikkeller drumBAR Black Sap

Brewed By: Mikkeller in Copenhagen, Denmark (brewed & bottled at De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium)

Purchased: 375ml (12.7oz) bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2013

Style/ABV: Imperial Porter, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I honestly can't believe I have only ever reviewed one other Mikkeller beer, which is the

gimmicky but delicious 1000 IBUs. I guess I just prefer the Evil Twin? Ah...aha...get it? Anyway, about Mikkeller: 

Mikkeller is that European brewery that does things like an American craft brewery. The brewery was founded in 2006 by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, a humble math and physics teacher who enjoyed craft beer and homebrewing. Mikkel and his childhood friend Kristian Keller bought a few American books about brewing, and began brewing beer and entering it into competitions (and winning!) for two and a half years. Eventually, Mikkel and Keller began brewing beer at the Danish microbrewery Ørbæk, and Mikkel's twin brother Jeppe began selling their beer at his beer shop. Mikkeller's first big break came with their infamous "Beer Geek Breakfast." Since then, the brewery exports beer to over 40 countries, and brews the majority of their beer at de Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. However, Mikkeller is also nicknamed the "phantom" or "gypsy" microbrewery, as they brew at a number of host facilities in many different countries; they have also brewed over 100 different beers in a wide variety of styles. You can read more about the brewery here. 

So yeah, tonight's brew is so OG and original there doesn't even appear to be a blurb on the website. I guess Mikkel is too busy flying around gypsy-brewing beer to update his website, IT'S OKAY I LOVE YOU ANYWAY. The bottle on this beer quietly states: "Imperial Porter brewed with coffee & aged in maple syrup barrels." That's good news for me, because I like maple syrup, coffee, and Imperial Porters. 

Mikkeller drumBAR Black Sap

The beer pours into a black, cola-esque body, kick up three fingers of sandy/tan head. The head is bready and thick, and sustaining surprisingly well. Bright light confirms the same stuff...opaque, black body, and a finger of brown head that is still hanging on. There's some nice lacing as well. 

On the aroma: surprising anise and dark fruits...probably from the coffee. If you dig a bit further, you get walloped with dense, thick, earthy coffee. I'm getting intense coffee, espresso, char, dark roast, fudge, hints of mocha or dark baker's chocolate, and some maple/pine sap sweetness. There is some oak and wood as well.

The taste is a collision of maple sap sweetness, tart dark fruits, subtle coffee, and huge char, roast, dirt, earthy espresso, and dark baker's chocolate. The front end has lots of maple sweetness and dark fruits, but the back end dials up huge roast and char, with hints of baker's chocolate, espresso, coffee, and some boozy mouthfeel. The back end even gets a bit ashy, with some leather and tobacco. 

This is surprisingly medium-light bodied, with lots of carbonation and tart fruitiness to help move things along. Palate depth and duration is surprisingly good, as the beer drops off and then kicks into second gear with huge roast and char and baker's chocolate. You really don't get any of the 10% except for some welcomed boozy complexity and warming in your chest. This is moderately complex as well. So I don't know why I'm not madly in love with this...up front: sweet maple syrup, tart dark fruits, sweeter coffee and espresso. Then, go for a jog or something and wait a minute. Better late than never, right? The mid palate shows up...about 20 seconds later (impressive), with MASSIVE roast, char, dark molasses, grilled meats, earthy dirt and coffee and espresso, dark baker's chocolate, and some ash; the back end features trailing roast and char with some leather and tobacco, boozy warming, a dry roasty finish. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here...this is a very complex, subtle beer. It reminds me very much of The Beer That Saved Christmas, because both beers have really complex flavor profiles that don't assault your senses. You could probably miss out on everything that is good about this beer if you drink it too cold (drink at room temp), or if you drink it too fast. This beer is the type of beer you'll want to mull over for a while, and you'll want to drink the entire bottle. So don't bring this to a bottle share. The contrast of sweet maple sap/syrup and dark fruits and the huge earthy char is nice. It suggests to me that you could pair this beer with a robust cigar, grilled meats, steak, a big burger, or strong aged cheeses. I'd love to see this beer in a slightly larger bottle format, 12.7oz is just not enough to properly mull over. Especially since this wasn't cheap. But I'll toss this a soft recommendation. 

Random Thought: It's totally snowing out...and....I don't even care anymore. Whatever. I'm ready for Spring and Saisons.

Revolution Bean Gene

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company (Revolution Beer LLC) in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Robust Porter, 8.5%

Reported IBUs: 28

Bean Gene is the best Gene. About Revolution:

Revolution Brewing is a brewery and brewpub based in Chicago. Revolution's roots are tied to founder Josh Deth, a homebrewer who began working at Golden Prairie Brewing. A few years later, while working at Goose Island, Josh dreamt up the idea for Revolution Brewing. In 2003, Josh and his wife opened Handlebar, while Josh worked as an Executive Director of Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. While working for the Chamber of Commerce, Josh found an old building on Milwaukee Avenue, and the wheels began to spin to open up a brewery. After three years of raising funds, Revolution Brewing opened its doors on February 2010. In July of 2011, Revolution added a 2nd floor Brewers' Lounge. And in 2012, the company opened a new production brewery and tap room. The brewpub is located in Logan Squre on 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave; the brewery is located on Kedzie Avenue at 3340 N. Kedzie Ave. For more information on Revolution, check out their history page here! 

The Bean Gene is like going into Inception and then plugging into the Matrix or some shit. The beer takes Revolution's Eugene Porter that has been aged in Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels for 36 weeks (aka their Mean Gene), and then tosses in some coffee from Dark Matter Coffee. The Bean Gene is steeped with Dark Matter coffee beans prior to bottling. The bottle states:

"Bean Gene is our first variation on our barrel aged porter, Mean Gene. After months socked away in bourbon barrels, we steep it with Dark Matter coffee beans prior to bottling. Smooth and well balanced, with hints of vanilla and in your face coffee flavor, enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner." 

Revolution Bean Gene

Punching in at 8.5% ABV and 28 IBUs, this is a relatively mild take on something aged in bourbon barrels. This one pours into a mostly opaque and black body...it's inky and dark, but not the darkest I've seen. The beer kicks up three fingers of sandy/tan head, and head retention is pretty good, leaving some nice lacing as it drops off. When held to a bright white light, you catch some brown tones around the edges.

The aroma is a really nice blend of bourbon and coffee. I'm getting a lot of earthy coffee, roast, espresso, dirt, some mocha and chocolate, and a little dark fruit sweetness. The barrel character melds into the backdrop, with wood, light bourbon, and some vanilla and oak.

Wow...this is amazing. Like, restrained and balanced but huge and expansive...I'm getting a lot of coffee, roast, espresso, earthy dirt, light nuttiness and mocha, and then tons of subdued vanilla, oak, light barrel, and some kisses of bourbon and booze. There's mocha in here, hints of dark fruit, some roast, and even some hints of bread/toast. Just wonderfully balanced and drinkable.

This is just...amazing. It's so restrained and drinkable. It sort of drinks like an 8.5% beer, which it is. But you know, sometimes those huge barrel-aged beers get exhausting, and this doesn't. The coffee adds some nice character to the body, with that roasty, coffee-bean texture in the body and carbonation. This is a medium-full to full-bodied beer, with tons of carbonation and coffee tingling on your tongue, and great duration, depth, and complexity. Up front: tons of sweet coffee, earthy coffee, nutty, hints of hazelnut, earthy, dirt, dark fruits; that rolls into big mocha and chocolate, roast, vanilla, bourbon, oak, barrel character, wood, more coffee, some roast; the back end is all about the bourbon/vanilla, oak, some lingering oaky-vanilla sweetness, and a dry vanilla finish. Light, balanced, drinkable, super refined. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Strong Divine Brew on this. This is just blissful, fantastic, brilliance. I'm amazed at how easy to drink this beer is...the 8.5% is completely subdued. This beer also has tons of flavor in terms of barrel, coffee, chocolate, and the base beer, but nothing is overwhelming. This beer is like everything that the Deth's Tar isn't. Avoid the Deth's Tar and just by this, yo. Yeah, it's a little pricey at $20 dollars a bottle, but this is quality shit. Good job, Revolution, I will be buying this again. Food pairings: ribs, grilled meets, vanilla ice cream, your snifter and a cigar. Just fantastic...

Random Thought: If you were wondering, yes I am an alcoholic, and yes I took Monday off. Why did I take Monday off? Because it's the Monday after the Super Bowl, and I believe that day should be a national holiday. Who wants to go to work after eating too much food, drinking too much alcohol, and watching a late night football game? The answer is nobody, that's who.