Chipotle Smoked Porter ~ Stone Brewing

Appearance: black. Thick voluminous off-white head. Swirls thick along the sides with blotchy lace and bubbles.

Nose: smack! That would be the chipotle saying “LOOK AT ME!!!”. Burnt, brittle, rustic, and woodsy overall. Dried roasted chipotle smacks me across the face then settles into the back. Dark pitted fruit stones, hold the meat. Ash and smoke – like a campfire after tossing water in to douse the flames. Tobacco and cigar leaf. Black root comes in as an afterthought.

Palate: heat grabs my tongue right in the middle before travelling into the back of my throat and eventually settling into my chest. Wham! Smoky, peat, charcoal, heat, and flame. Chipotle comes in last and lingers longest – nice dry roasted whole peppers. Sweet heat and smoke, burnt and black. Chicory. Campfire smoke and ash. White hot embers. Bacon and red meat comes out to play after each quaff.

Final Thoughts: spicy foods and spicy drinks and I don’t always get along. At first the chipotle was a smidge too much, but it didn’t take long for me to fall under its spell. Intriguingly enough, the Chipotle Smoked Porter I tasted on draft at Broken Barrel was far more chipotle intense than my most recent reintroduction at Hurricanes VB.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)