3 Nations Banana Nut Bread Porter

I guess some days, you just need a beer that feels like breakfast.  And so we have the wonderful and strong Banana Nut Bread Porter from the good folks at 3 Nations Brewing.  It says it all on the can: vanilla, macadamia nut, coffee, and banana.  The 10% ABV brew pours black with a light tan head and smells like its ingredients, along with some notes of chocolate and toffee.  The flavor is a sweet and rich mix of vanilla, chocolate, banana, and nut with the coffee notes keeping things grounded and making for a perfect holiday beverage, something to sip and sit by the fire to.

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Põhjala Öö XO (Cellar Series)

I opened up a bottle of the good stuff over the Halloween weekend as one is wont to do.  Enter the Öö XO (Cellar Series) by Põhjala, a Cognac barrel aged Baltic porter brewed in Estonia.  The 11.5% ABV brew pours a dark black with a brown head and smells of chocolate, dark fruit, cherry, Cognac, and some hints of spice.  The flavor follows the nose, with some added notes of honey, liquorice, coffee, and molasses, everything jiving quite well together under the ever-present notes of Cognac.  A very tasty beverage to wile away the nighttime hours to.

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Megalodon Imperial Coffee Porter

It's always fun to drink a beer with can or bottle art that my kids are fascinated by.  And i guess if you put a picture of shark on the can, you're gonna have their attention.  It's cool when the beer is great too.  The Megalodon Imperial Coffee Porter from Virginia's Champion Brewing does it right, the 10% ABV brew pouring a dark, blackish brown with a tan head.  Aromas of roasted coffee beans, chocolate, and some hints of cream or vanilla hit the nose quick, and the flavor is heavy on the coffee and chocolate with some notes of cream and dark fruit that finishes just a little bit boozy.  Yum.

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Saint Arnold French Press

The folks over at Saint Arnold Brewing in Houston never disappoint, and they really kill it with their French Press, an imperial coffee porter.  The 9.4% brew pours a dark blackish brown with a tan head and smells of coffee, chocolate, and malt.  The flavor is similar to the aroma, but well balanced and never too sweet from the chocolate notes.  This one will be a wonderful Christmas treat.

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Cherub Rock Imperial Pumpkin Porter

It's that time of year again, when every trip to the grocery store ends with me bringing home six packs of pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests.  And...since COVID has basically annihilated any chance of attending an actual Oktoberfest celebration, i'm going to drink the shit out of these two wonderful styles at home, and there's nothing you can do about it.  So far i've managed to bring home a couple of old standards and a couple of newbies.  One of those newbies is the delicious Cherub Rock Imperial Pumpkin Porter from the good folks at Brazos Valley Brewing over in Brenham, Texas.  The 8.5% brew pours a lovely brownish black with a tan head and smells of chocolate, coffee, and pumpkin spices.  The flavor is a malty mix of chocolate, coffee, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg with some hints of clove and licorice.  It's a wonderful and balanced mix of sugary sweet and pumpkin spice.  I hope to be drinking this one all Fall.

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Adelbert's Darkness Comes Alive Porter

Though they're generally way more known for their Belgian-inspired wares, the good folks at Adelbert's Brewery in Austin have concocted a damn, fine coffee milk porter called Darkness Comes Alive.  And aside from the excellent name, the beer is great too.  Pouring a dark brownish black with a light tan head, the 6% ABV brew smells of roasted malt, coffee, and notes of cocoa, vanilla, and cream.  The flavor is a smooth, medium mouthfeel mix of said roasted malt, coffee, and cocoa notes with some hints of spice and an overall creamy finish.  I very much enjoyed this beer and intend to drink more of it.  You should too.

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Deschutes Black Butte XXX

I'm going to be writing about my Christmas beers for weeks.  It's a shame they're all gone, when i really could have used one last night after the refs stole the NFC championship and a trip to the Superbowl from my Saints.  But, moving on.  Deschutes consistently knocks it out of the park, which is probably why they've been around for 30 years.  To celebrate that milestone, the brewery released their Black Butte XXX 30th Birthday Reserve, a barrel aged imperial porter that weighs in at 13.6% ABV.  The beer pours a dark brownish black with a tan head and smells of malt, oak, chocolate, and some hints of dark fruit.  The flavor is a boozy mix of chocolate, oak, malt, and again those hints of dark fruit, all in a heavy mouthfeel that hangs on the tongue for a while afterward.  And you can really feel that 13.6% ABV.  An outstanding anniversary brew from an outstanding brewery.

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(512) Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter

The Pecan Porter from (512) Brewing Company is easily one of my favorite year-round beers to drink here in Austin, so it should go without saying that i'm going to adore the barrel aged variety.  And so we have this year's Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter, a tasty and potent elixir for these long winter nights.  The beer pours dark and black, aromas of malt, sugar, and booze prevailing.  The flavor is very similar to the regular Pecan Porter, malts, pecans, and some subtle chocolate and coffee notes abounding, but with a heartier, boozier feel, a delicious beverage with 9.5% ABV to keep you all warm and fuzzy.

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Zombie Monkie

I'll admit it.  Sometimes i make a beer purchase based solely on the name of the brew.  How was i gonna skip out on something called Zombie Monkie?  A tasty porter from Tallgrass Brewing out of Manhattan, Kansas, the beer pours dark with plenty of carbonation and a quickly dissipating tan head.  Aromas of roasted malt abound with some subtle hints of chocolate and coffee.  The beer's flavor is the same but with some slight notes of vanilla on the back end.  All in all, this 6.2% ABV brew is a pretty standard and tasty porter, and great beverage to have on the patio as the nights grow cooler.

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Black Star Co-op's Agent Cooper

One of the local purveyors of beer and food that i like to visit here in Austin is the Black Star Co-op.  The food is great.  We can take the kiddo there.  And i love their brews.  Yesterday, in honor of a "Twin Peaks" marathon they decided to screen in the pub, the brewers took their excellent porter, the Recalcitrant Dockhand, and added some coffee and cherry juice to create Agent Cooper.  The beer is dark and medium bodied and smells of chocolate, malts, and the aforementioned coffee and cherry.  A swirl of chocolate and caramel notes mix swimmingly with the hints of coffee and cherry, and an all-around roastiness prevails.  This beer is awesome, and i believe just a one-off batch.  So, if you live in the Austin area, get over there and try it before it's too late.

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New Belgium Portage

Colorado's New Belgium Brewery is one of those brewers who have never blown me away, but have also never made anything that i didn't like.  They are about as dependable a brewery as you're liable to get, and so, on that train of thought, the New Belgium Portage, a dark and smooth porter, is a pretty tasty beer that's as dependable a representation of a porter style as you're likely to taste.  The beer pours dark with a moderate tan head and smells of malts, chocolate, and vanilla.  The flavor is similar, but with some added nuttiness and some hints of coffee.  The Portage is simple and classic, a traditional porter with no added frills or exotic flavors.  It's really easy to drink too and makes a great chilly weather companion.

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Clown Shoes Pecan Pie Porter

With all the cold weather hanging around central Texas of late, i've been jonesing for darker beers.  And the Pecan Pie Porter from Clown Shoes Brewery out of Massachusetts is a pretty tasty treat to scratch that itch.  This 8% ABV brew pours dark, dark brown with a foamy, tan head, emitting aromas of malts, brown sugar, and plenty of pecans.  The pecans are evident in the taste as well, but not overpowering, blending in well with an additional nuttiness, hints of molasses, and maybe even some dark fruit notes.  I really liked this beer, and it was a wonderful elixir for a chilly evening.

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Founders Porter

There's just something about darker beers that works and tastes so wonderful during the colder months of the year.  Much like i seem to overdose on IPA's in the springtime, i found myself imbibing mass quantities of porters and stouts in the winter.  A recent highlight was the Founders Porter from Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  The beer is a thick and oily black with a tan head and aromas of roasted malts, nuts, and some hints of coffee and caramel.  The taste is a little sweet on the front end, a combination of molasses and notes of cocoa, but then gets more bitter and biting on the back end when the roastiness really kicks in.  And it's oh so smooth.  All in all, this is a fantastic porter.

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Sex Panther Double Chocolate Porter

The beer is called Sex Panther.  Of course i'm going to drink it.  This double chocolate porter from Arizona's Santan Brewing was actually way different than i expected.  The beer was much lighter bodied than i had anticipated, and the chocolate flavor is actually a lot more subtle than the name would suggest.  Pouring brown with a light tan head, the beer smells of malt and some spices, with some chocolate and toffee notes.  The taste was heavier on roasted malts than chocolate and was crisp on the tongue due to the carbonation.  I liked it.  It was a much different kind of take on the porters i'm more used to, but was actually kind of refreshing, and at 6.9% ABV, the Sex Panther does not mess around.

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Hops & Grain Porter Culture

As temperatures gradually (very gradually) drop here in central Texas, i naturally find my beer persuasion turning a little darker, a little thicker, a little stronger.  With that in mind, i am excited that one of my favorite local breweries, Hops & Grain, are adding a fifth selection to their year-round canning efforts, a delicious Baltic porter called Porter Culture.  The brew pours nice and dark, but with a medium body, and a good, tan and frothy head.  Aromas of roasted malt, wheat, and some hints of chocolate prevail, while the flavor combines those three attributes with some hoppy spice and a dry, almost crisp finish.  This is a ridiculously easy beer to drink, and i highly recommend cracking into one the first chance you get.

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Gaspar's Porter

I'm not usually one to recommend anything from Florida.  It's an American wasteland.  That being said, i really enjoyed the Gaspar's Porter from Florida Beer Company.  The brew is dark with a very light head, aromas of coffee, chocolate, and cherry evident at first pour.  The taste is heavy on roasted malt, with hints of the aforementioned coffee and chocolate.  There are also some nice dark fruit notes that make the beer a little sweeter than most porters, but tasty nonetheless.  Well done Florida.

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Alaskan Pumpkin Porter

The average temperature around here has finally dropped about 20 degrees over the last week, so i feel comfortable and compelled to proclaim that i love, love, love the Alaskan Brewing Company's Pumpkin Porter.  It's like dessert.  Or candy.  I can't stop drinking it.  The brew pours a dark brownish black with a nice tan head.  The aromas of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, smoked malts, and chocolate are immediately evident...and that's the flavors you get too.  There may be a little clove in the mix as well.  This beer will probably go best as a post meal option, but i'd probably drink it any time.  I'm going to be a sad panda when pumpkin ale season comes to a close.  I give this beer my highest possible recommendation.

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Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter

Still winter time.  Still digging on the darker brews.  But this time, i felt i should go for more of a traditional porter without all the coffee, or pecans, or pumpkin (the kind i just brewed myself), and so i give you the Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter from Ska Brewing Co. in Durango, Colorado.  The brew is a pretty straight forward porter, dark, malty, and with your usual hints of caramel and chocolate.  An excellent beer for a cold day.  Sometimes it's nice to just enjoy a classic.

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