Day 645: DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus

After doing a little blog housekeeping this weekend, I found a bunch of reviews from this summer that went unused thanks to the gazillion reviews that resulted from my trip to Belgium. So today's post is a trip down memory lane to TJ's Independence Party where I had a chance to try DuClaw Brewing Company's Sweet Baby Jesus.

Sweet Baby Jesus is a peanut butter chocolate porter. It poured deep brown, almost black in the glass with a think off-white head. It smelled deeply of peanut butter. The flavor is full of chocolate and peanut butter with some roasted, smoky coffee notes. I also noted a little more hop flavor in this one compared to other chocolate peanut butter beers that I've had recently (Tired Hand's Five out of Five or Spring House's Big Gruesome, for example).

Beer stats
Style: Stout
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 53
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from DuClaw
Venom (American pale ale), more Venom

Day 450: Iron Hill Bourbon Stout and a Food Report

If there's anything that rivals my love of craft beer, it's finding a great new restaurant. And we've been on a good run lately.

Our latest adventure is taking us to Alla Spina in Philadelphia for dinner tonight. I've heard great things about both the food and the beer list and I can't wait to check it out.

Last week we were reunited with a long lost Mexican restaurant Binni & Flynn's. Binni & Flynn's was a staple of our post-college life in King of Prussia (Pennsylvania)--relatively inexpensive Tex-Mex and giant margaritas. What's not to love? They went out of business and for years I lamented the fact that there was a serious lack of Tex-Mex in my neighborhood. Lo and behold the daughter of the original owners has reincarnated the restaurant and it's already satisfying my need for margaritas, beans and cheese!

A couple of weeks ago, we found another Mexican restaurant in Phoenixville called Hacienda La Michoacana.  It's a spin-off from the people who run Taqueria La Michoacana in Norristown, which I've tended to avoid because it's Norristown and you know, I don't need to get mugged. I find Phoenixville to be much more endearing and find myself there more and more often. Somehow after a giant and satisfying dinner at Hacienda La Michoacana, me, Mr. Blog Named Brew and good friends found ourselves across the street at the Iron Hill Brewery. And that's where I found inspiration for tonight's post...

The photo doesn't do it justice. This was
one of the most beautiful beers I've seen .

It's Iron Hill Brewery's bourbon porter.  It poured a dense, dark brown color with a thick, creamy tan head. They were serving it on nitro and I think that made it even more delectable. It has all the hallmarks of a great porter with the added bonus of being aged in bourbon barrels. Roasted, slightly burnt malts. Balanced hop bitterness. Easy to drink. This one has loads of creamy chocolate, some rich vanilla and light bourbon notes. It smells and tastes like dessert and went down all too easily!

Beer stats

Style: Porter

ABV: 5.3%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Iron Hill

Gary thinks he's Iron Man (Ironbound Ale)

My musings on Phoenixville's renaissance and a Belgian tripel

Day 440: Sixpoint, Six Shooter, Yee Haw

It's a strange day in Marci-land. I opted for my cowboy boots instead of loafers today. Did you know that cowboy boots totally make you saunter? I've been sauntering all over this place today. Then for whatever reason, I was moved to update my Facebook profile photo...

The photo led to my declaration of it being a "beer and guns kind of day." Honestly I wasn't drinking when I wrote that. I was drinking when I was shooting anything and everything with that BB gun. 

Beer and guns...cowboy boots...six shooters...Sixpoint beer. And that, kids, is how you transition to a beer review.

Today's beer is the Sixpoint Gorilla Warfare. It's an American porter brewed with coffee beans from Gorilla Coffee in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I didn't know anything about this beer when I ordered it. It was billed as an American Porter. Lucky for me, I love coffee and this beer did not disappoint.

(photo will go here if I can find it) Success!

It poured an opaque brown. It's smell and taste were all wrapped up in each other. Lots of coffee. Nutty. Hints of vanilla. A really good, bold coffee presence. Bitter but smooth with a touch of sweetness. 

Sometimes coffee beers are just beer and coffee smashed together without much effort to blend them. Sixpoint does a fantastic job of getting the balance just right.  

Beer stats

Style: American porter

ABV: 7%

IBUs: 52

Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Sixpoint

My review of Sixpoint's cream ale Sweet Action

Gary's review of Bengali Tiger (IPA)

Day 398: 512 Brewing and Burning Up during Reentry

This five day work week is a bitch. I haven't worked one in more than a month and it is killing me. I feel like the Pig Pen character from Peanuts--only with paperclips, file folders, and pencils swirling off me instead of dirt and grime. There's also been a soundtrack of the implosion noise going off periodically as I realize how much work is on my to do list. 

Note to self: Start playing Powerball and become independently wealthy.

In more upbeat, fun news, I'm kicking off Texas Beer Week on the blog--or at least my half of the blog.

Tan head washed out thanks to an
overachieving flash on my Blackberry

I'm starting with 512 Brewing Company and their Pecan Porter. 512 Brewing is based in Austin and is pretty much only available in Texas. I had the pleasure of trying the Pecan Porter at Hopdoddy while vacationing in Austin last month. 

Pro-tip: Go to Hopdoddy and have a burger and fries. They are life-changing.

The Pecan porter poured a dark, dark brown and the light danced around the edges in one of the prettiest shades of brown I've ever seen in a beer. It had a thick, deep tan head. The smell was good and roasted. The flavor is predominantly nutty and chocolate. Lots of rich malt with a nice hopped finish.

Beer stats

Style: Porter

ABV: 6.5%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Great (poor, average, good, great, excellent)

Previously reviewed from 512 Brewing

This is the first review!

Bear-ly Getting this One Done

Beer #395 Black Bear Porter / Timber Creek Tab and Table, Meadville, PA
Previously from this brewery: Marci's review of Black Bear Porter

It's been a long day, and I am finally just getting to sit down in front of a computer and type.  I'll keep this brief, as I need to get caught up on some old episodes of Gossip Girl.  Don't hate; it's a sensational show.  The Chuck Bass character is an all-time great, and Leighton Meester goes in my Top 5 list without a doubt.

Up tonight is a glass of Black Bear Porter from Timber Creek Tap and Table.  Before I even sample this one, I can assure you this beer will be delicious.  Why the certainty, you ask?  Easy - this beer was given to me as a Christmas gift by a dear friend.  Beer makes a wonderful gift, people!!!  This beer is black, with fluffy tan head that settles down in time.  There's an aroma of lightly toasted malt, an the taste gives you notes of oatmeal, toasted malt, some mild bitterness, and a clean finish.  My kind of porter!

The Park's closed.
The bear out front should have told you.

Timber Creek has been open for less than a year, and already cranking out some great beers.  Next time I'm in Meadville (whenever that might be), I'd love to stop by to visit in person.

Thing to Think About Today:
In honor of bear named after a black bear, allow us to close things out tonight with some Black Sheep.  Close enough, right?  We're wrapping up with The Choice is Yours:  Good night, all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9F5xcpjDMU

Day 392: Timber Creek Tap & Table

Thanks to my good friend Kelli, I got to try out the Black Bear porter from Timber Creek Tap & Table. Timber Creek is located in tiny Meadville (Pennsylvania). For such a small town, I actually have two connections. Kelli and her family and a crazy roommate from college. Strange how small the world can be. The beer is made onsite in their 10 bbl brew house, which just opened in May 2012. If not for Kelli, I probably never would have gotten my hands on this beer!




The Black Bear porter poured a very dark brown, almost black liquid. It had a thick tan head. The aroma was roasted malt and what reminded me of communion wafers (sorry, non-religious readers). The flavor was perfect--coffee with hints of baking cocoa and pumpernickel bread. It finished smooth with a bit of burnt coffee. I'm so excited that I have a nice big growler of this beer so I can savor it. Who knows the next time I'll get my grubby little paws in it?
Beer stats
Style: Porter
ABV: 6%
IBUs: 35
Rating: Great
Previously reviewed from Timber Creek
This is the first beer from Timber Creek!

Beer 311: Smuttynose Robust Porter

Evidently I turned over a new leaf on Saturday and didn't realize it. I went for a run for the first time in a long, long time. Granted it was day 1 of the Couch to 5K program or what I once accidentally called the Couch to Potato program. Sunday I managed to get on my bike for the first time since this football season began and then last night I hit a yoga class with Mr. Blog Named Brew. He seems to have liked it.

I'm taking today off because my abs and quads are mounting a revolt. But day 2 of the 5K program in on the docket for the morning.


Tonight's beer is another one of those "What was I waiting for breweries." Smuttynose Brewing Company's Robust Porter is the feature beer of the day. It poured pitch black with a cocoa color head. It smells of toast with hints of chocolate. The flavor is roasted malt, coffee grinds and some cola. It's a much more aggressive porter than what I've been drinking lately. Bold flavor. A little more carbonation. A bigger bitter hop.

I rate this a good beer. Cheers!

Beer 285: St. Peter's Old Style Porter, Doubt and Confusion

Let me give you a little insight into what's been happening in my head for the past 48 hours. I've been freaking out about an event I'm planning in early October. I'm building a freaking party venue in the middle of a very large, grass field. I now know a nice restroom trailer will cost $3,600. A fancy tent upwards of $30,000. I'm helping plan electric hook ups and substations. Huh? I'm terrified I'll have to drive the garden cart. I know my building like the back of my hand. I am going to be so very far away from my building that night...
Then my friend Amanda tweets this message this morning...perfectly summing up my head space: Currently floating in that unnamed place between brief flickers of confidence, overwhelming inadequacy + all consuming self-doubt.
My brief flickers of confidence included a strong desire for someone to buy me this Oscar de la Renta dress...




...because I would rock that dress. And I promise I'll smile when I wear it!
Tonight's beer is the Old Style Porter from St. Peter's Brewery. I admit I was first attracted to it because of the cool bottle.




It's that yellow green glass that I usually associate with wine bottles. That paired with the fact that it was a porter pretty much guaranteed that it was coming home with me. It poured almost black with only the faintest bit of light infiltrating at the edges where a deep brown cola color was revealed. Its head was very thick and dense and tan. It's brewed in Suffolk, England at a site that dates back to 1280!
It smells of chocolate cream, licorice and toast. The taste is anise, vanilla and has a slight hop bite. At 5.1% ABV, it was very easy and enjoyable to drink. This is a very good beer.
Cheers!

Port of Call

Beer #283 Old Style Porter / St. Peter's Brewery, Bungay, England

I wish I had more time to write, I might have something interesting to say.  Unfortunately, it's already 9pm and this is the first time I've stopped moving since I woke up today.  Let's just get into it, shall we?

The beer for the evening is the Old Style Porter from St. Peter's Brewery.  In your glass you see a black color beer, with some mahogany hues and a nearly non-existent off-white head.  The aroma is pleasing, with lightly toasted malts and some chocolate.  The taste is loaded with a toasted malt flavor, but it's not overly bitter or burnt. There's a thin mouth feel, with hints of chocolate and caramel malt.  Not a bad beer, even though I never would claim to be a big fan of porters.  This particular one checks in at a relaxed 5.1% ABV.

Colonial!

This brewery, from the Suffolk countryside, has been in operation since 1996.  Their distinctively shaped bottle is based on an old gin bottle from colonial America.  In fact, the old bottle has a connection to an inn on the Delaware River, on the New Jersey side.  Now you know!

Thing to Think About Today:
Okay, so we're talking drinking a porter today.  It's late, I'm tired, I'n not into religion to tie in St. Peter's, so therefore I can't think of anything more appropriate than Johnny Cash's rendition of Hey Porter.  Time for bed, kids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bywDJMP0zOQ

Beer 141: Uncommon Brewers Baltic Porter

Life without major work projects looming over my head is good.  The productivity of yesterday spilled into today.  House is tidied. Laundry is in progress. Groceries are being purchased as I type. Decorating project completed and I'm pretty happy with the results.

The plan was to reward myself with a trip to Teresa's Next Door for a couple beers.  I knew my review stockpile has been dwindling, but I had no idea how much so.  Imagine my surprise when I sat down to write today and there was nothing left in my beer notebook.  Luckily I had a can of Uncommon Brewers Baltic Porter in the fridge so my late afternoon plan has not been totally derailed.




This Baltic Porter poured pitch black with a full - and I mean full - tan head.  (How that beer didn't end up all over the counter is beyond me!) It has a general beer smell with hints of roasted goodness.  It's light - not what you'd expect from its looks - and very carbonated.  The taste is very strong on licorice, much more so than what other Baltic porters deliver.  You know that mouthfeel you get after eating way too much licorice?  This beer delivers that.  For me that's a good thing because I love black licorice like a fat kid loves cake.

Uncommon Brewers is based in Santa Cruz.  I hope to sample some of their other offerings on our craft brew vacation, which is just around the corner.  Their beers are unfiltered and unpasteurized.  The label also suggests letting them age and experiencing their transformation over time.  I really wish I had another can of this one.  The one I'm drinking was produced on March 14, 2011 and I'd love to see what a little more time would do to it.

As I work my way through my mug, a few more flavors are becoming evident: rye bread and herbs mainly.  I'm also noticing it's dryness a lot more.  This could be my favorite of the Baltic porters I've tried so far.

Cheers!

Beer 103: Southampton Imperial Porter

I can only describe the past few weeks at work as utterly insane.  And it's not even crunch time yet.  I can't imagine the level of insanity that April is going to bring.  Hopefully there is some respite come May...otherwise I don't know if I can continue at this pace.  /sigh

*** 

Tonight I'm drinking Southampton Publick House's imperial porter.  Southampton comes to us from New York and this particular beer is inspired by Baltic porters of centuries past.  

This imperial porter poured a deep dark brown and was very bubbly.  It had a thin, slightly off-white head.  The smell was full of sweet roasted malted.  The taste was remarkably light and refreshing.  It closed with a nice hope bite.  Overall it was smooth, not too roasted, a bit smokey and pretty easy to drink.  Very nice, indeed.

Cheers!

Beer 95: de Molen London Porter

I picked de Molen’s London Porter because of the description:  historic recipe developed with the help of the renowned beer historian Ron Pattinson; a one-of-a-kind example of a genuine porter.  I’m a fan of porters so how could I resist drinking a historically accurate porter?

Sorry about the background...

This beer was brewed in an extremely limited quantity.  It’s from a recipe discovered by Pattinson that dates to August 1, 1914.  This is the beer you would have ordered in pre-WWI London.  Pretty crazy if you think about it.  I had it on draught at The Farmer’s Cabinet.  I know I always sing the praises of Teresa’s Next Door, but if you’re in Philadelphia, go to The Farmer’s Cabinet.  You’re a fool if you don’t.

It poured a deep, dark brown in my glass.  It had a coffee aroma that carried through to the flavor.  I found it to be have some spice to it.  It was also a bit nutty.  I’m struggling to describe the way it drank.  To say it wasn’t  smooth makes it sound bad.  But it wasn’t smooth.  It had body.  It also finished dry.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really want to put it in my Top 25 but I hesitate because in nine months from now, I’m probably not going to find anymore.

p.s.  Someone please tell Google that it is not smarter than I am -- at least on this occasion.  I most certainly did not want to look up Rob Pattinson.  His pale, pouty man-boy image was most certainly not what I meant.

Day 2: Breckenridge Brewery

On the second day she drank porter. Vanilla porter from Breckenridge Brewery to be exact. It's effervescent, chocolatey and surprisingly light given its dark complex color. I love being surprised by the scent of my beer. This one smells of rich vanilla. Not cloying but organic...exactly what I want to relax with after working for 12 hours today.

I took an ok shot of my beer but I don't know how to use my iPad yet so no photo for you!

Check out what Breckenridge Brewery has to say about it.

Also if you ever find yourself near Breckenridge, do yourself a favor and visit this brewery. Their beer sampler is not for the faint of heart. It's only outdone by Tommyknocker Brewery. Another go to if you're traveling in that part of the country. Because why wouldn't you want to tour around and see one of the most beautiful places on earth while sampling some very awesome beer?

On an odd note, I'm surprised it goes so well with my dinner of cheesy eggs.

Until tomorrow...cheers!