Belhaven Scottish Stout

Today has been a long day.

How long? So long that I, Pope Crisco, have the “White Boy, Working in a Bank’s Call Center Blues.”

First world problems, I know. I’ll shut up about my problems with being gainfully employed, and instead concentrate on tonight’s beer.

In the black shorts, weighing one pint and point nine fluid ounces, we have Belhaven Scottish Stout, and in the Star Wars pajama shorts and white undershirt, weighing at something in excess of a small Japanese car, Pope Crisco.

This stout pours out a nice, dark, true black, not just a very dark brown. The head forms thick, but dies down expeditiously to a penny’s thickness, and exhibits a nice hazel color with a charcoal like tint.

Exhibiting a decent yet light coffee-like nose, a malt essence brings out a warm toffee and nutty aroma.

The flavor of the stout is malt forward, with a medium-light bodied essence of coffee, toffee, and, well to put it mildly a certain, um, “earthiness.”

This beer is not my favorite. A decade or so ago I would have been loving this beer, as it’s not too far off from a Newcastle Brown Ale, but with a little more bitterness. There are a lot of much better, locally brewed beers available, and thus I do not see myself purchasing another bottle of this particular beer.

Prost.

International Pipe Smoking Day 2012: (So You Want To Be a Pipe Smoker)

Well, If things are going as planned, the date on this post will read February 20^th, 2012. While you would be correct in recognizing that this is President’s Day, a holiday that most institutions do not recognize, it is also International Pipe Smoker’s Day.

On this day, Pipe Smokers gather in a number of venues to celebrate a bond that is created between people who keep this form of tobacco usage alive, and promote the habit to new and curious participants. 

It should be noted that a year ago I wouldn’t be writing this review, but publishing a video on YouTube, as I was part of an active community of vloggers who spend countless hours watching and pontificating on all things tobacco. I am currently on a hiatus from YouTube because of a lack of quiet space to shoot video, and misplacement of my data transfer cable for my camera.

Today I am smoking some Blackpoint by GL Pease in a prized Mark Tinsky Christmas pipe (’87 if reading the stamp correctly) that was gifted to my by my brother for my birthday last year. In brief it is a cool, sweet and floral smoke.

Now hopefully a few of you reading this are looking for information on getting started with the hobby, and for you, as part of my service to the pipe smoking community I have included some answers to questions often asked by the new or would be pipe smoker.

To give credit where credit is due, the below information can be obtained from a number of sources I have used in my own education, and as well more in depth information can be obtained just by going to Google and using the search feature. Novel idea, I know.

What do I need to start smoking a pipe? How much will it cost me?

One of the very attractive things about pipe smoking, to myself at least, is the scalability of the hobby. To begin the hobby it wouldn’t really run most people more than about 20 bucks or so.

For a starter pipe, corn cobs are great and can be had for about 5-8 dollars, a pipe tool, one a simple as a “nail” style will do, can be found for 1-3 bucks, pipe cleaners, another 3 bucks, and some tobacco (perhaps the hardest item to decide on) can range from 5 to 10 bucks for a 2 ounce bag of bulk tobacco from your tobacconist to a 50 gram tin, respectively.

How do I choose what tobacco to smoke?

First, find a tobacconist that sells a large quantity of pipes and tobacco. You might have better luck using an online source just because most tobacconists that I have encountered seem to add pipes as an afterthought to cigars and premium cigarettes.

As a new smoker I would avoid anything listed as a flake or plug and search for a ribbon cut, which resembles as you might imagine, short, fine cut, ribbon.

As well as cut, another aspect of pipe smoking is the wildly diverse world of blends, which at least for myself as a newbie pipe smoker, scared the poop out of me.

If you are not coming to this hobby as a smoker of cigars or cigarettes, I would probably suggest beginning with either an aromatic or an English blend. Aromatics are often suggested, as am I suggesting, because they are relatively strait forward flavor wise, sweet, and easy to obtain, while the English blends, blends that are blended with latakia, burn easily and “cool”, and generally are not nicotine bombs.

For cigarette smokers, burley based blends are my suggestion due to their high nicotine levels, and similar nutty flavor, sans the essence of burning paper.  (Just a side note, my brother will often go on how one burly blends tastes like one cigarette or another.)

Cigar smokers, for you I would suggest most blends, including those with cigar leaf, just don’t expect to get the same experience that you get when smoking a stogie. Viva la difference.

How do I pack the pipe?

There are a number of different means to pack a pipe. I would suggest going to YouTube where the subject is explored in great detail, with moving pictures.

Personally I use the “jam it in till its full” method, but this method is easier once you know how to gauge the density of the filled pipe. I am sure for every pipe smoker there is a unique way they fill their favorite pipe, and with practice you will learn how to pack your favorite briar with your favorite blend in a means that gives you the most pleasure.  Before you begin to apply flame to that tinder, pull air through the mouthpiece, there should just be a slight resistance. If it feels like your trying to drink a triple thick milkshake, it is probably a good idea to empty that pipe and start anew.

Okay, I’ve bought, and filled my pipe, how do I light it?

Place the pipe in your mouth, and while drawing in air circle your flame around the whole circumference of the tobacco, trying for an even char. Once started, use your tamper on that tobacco while continuing to smoke.

At this point it is highly likely your fire has been put out, this is normal, don’t go getting neurotic, this is what pipe smokers refer to as a “charring” step, designed to prime the rest of the tobacco. Just light it up again, as before, without the additional step of tampering.

And there you go; you are now smoking a pipe, in the not so suggestive manner. If your fire goes out, relight it. It happens to the best of us.

Try to keep pulling smoke slowly and gently; just frequent and strong enough to keep the fire going without burning down all of Atlanta.

Anything else?

Just remember that pipe smoking is not a science, but an art, a personal art. Through the process of familiarizing yourself with the tools of the hobby you will eventually find a pace and a technique that works best for you, and brings you to that sweet nicotine and flavor induced Nirvana.

If this has wetted your appetite, or if you are already a veteran pipe smoker, you might check out the Black Ops Tobacco Society. Operated by some good friends of mine, also from YouTube, it is a tobacco centric blog that often explores all of the little extra nuances pipe smoking has, as well as some good cigar related info.

(Sorry for any typos, run on sentences, and other egregious errors. My editor at the time of publishing decided to get sick and needs her rest. Thanks for reading!)

La Gloria Cubana Serie N Glorioso

Another Saturday morning is upon yours truly, another pot of coffee has been brewed, and I am ready to enjoy another cigar.

This morning I have selected a La Gloria Cubana Serie N Glorioso. At 6 ½ by 58, this is a hefty cigar wrapped and filled with tobacco form Nicaragua, and rolled in the Dominican Republic.

When browsing my local brick and mortar, I was sold on this cigar in part by a love for the Serie R, as well the unique hexagonal box, the dark oscura wrapper contrasted with a letter N, apparently cut from a natural piece of tobacco.

The initial light of the stick was full of a generic spice with hints of nutmeg. Through the first inch or so the spice profile progressed to about a medium full-bodied flavor profile that was augmented and balanced by developing cedar notes. Despite the gradual increase of the cigar’s spicy side through the first half, the flavor remained well balanced, and never overpowering.

After the halfway point was passed, and through when I had to put the cigar down, the woody notes became more pronounced, and a slight earthy undertone developed.

Combined with the bittersweet coffee accoutrement, this was a wonderful way to start my three-day weekend with lots of flavor and medium bodied strength. 

Happy Smoking!

Dogfish Head India Brown Ale

Well, I can’t say how long it will be till these posts come out due to issues with the health of my editor and her willingness to proof them before uploading, but this makes article number three for myself this weekend, and it’s only Saturday of a three day weekend. I have at least two more articles that I plan to pen this weekend, not including any additional beer reviews that I might be inspired to compose.

The weather is somewhat perfect for beer consumption, as it is rainy and cold here in north Texas, and the alcohol helps warm the soul and body in this dreary weather. Of course it isn’t doing much to keep me awake either.

Being my typically reckless self, I poured the beer a bit too aggressively, making use of the imperial pint glass’s extra room for the 12 ounce bottle of beer, and avoiding overflow of the tan, fluffy head that formed, showing large CO2 bubbles in the beer’s crown. The beer itself was a dark, opaque, and true to its name, brown ale.

Putting my nose to the rim of the glassware, aromas of burnt caramel, chocolate and a slight breadiness are detected.

The first sip of the dark concoction is full of burnt caramel and coffee flavors accented by a coffee-like bitterness. As an aftertaste, the underlying essence of raisins can be experienced. While I am sure Dogfish Head put a wonderfully appropriate amount of hops for their means, this beer drinker was hoping for some more traditional pine, citrus, or floral hints from the hops in the brew.

All in all though, this is a wonderful, complex beer that is easily enjoyed.

Prost!

Sisyphus 2008 and 2011 Barleywine by Real Ale Brewing

Hope everyone, or at least their spouse, had a good Valentines Day,

For myself, it included a trip to the store to pick up flowers, my wife’s favorite beer, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, and a healthy dose of a number of different flu and cold medications for myself.

Luckily my cold has broken for the most part, and as my reward for joining the ranks of the working dregs, I have decided to open a couple bottles of Real Ale Brewing Company’s Sisyphus, a bottle from 2008 that was gifted to me by my brother and another from 2011, bought last week from Central Market in Southlake, TX. 

The bottle from 2008, which is to date the only intentionally aged bottle of beer I’ve had the opportunity to drink, pours out a nice amber hue that is cloudy with minimal signs of active carbonation outside of the dense, silver dollar thick head that formed.

Reminiscent of artisanal honey, the up front bouquet of this barlywine style ale is sweet with a floral and fruit like essence.

Carried on a thick, syrupy body, the flavors of the 2008 variety offers a strong honey sweetness that is augmented by light clove, green apple, and caramel notes, creating a very busy profile on the palate.

Where the ’08 bottle is somewhat overpowering with a bright, saccharine profile, the ’11 example is more balanced and refined.

As the first bottle knocked out the olfactory glands with aromas, the latter is quite a bit subtler, only suggesting malt and floral hoppiness, as opposed to beating the drinker over the head.

Pouring out with a less impressive crown, more active carbonation and greater translucency is present than in the older bottle of Sisyphus, but is similarly hued.

With a more medium bodied mouthfeel, the primary notes are of a caramel maltiness with an almost strawberry like tilt. While still sweet, a nice, welcomed somewhat floral bitterness adds a wonderful sharpness to the back end that I feel was lacking in the earlier bottle.

Ultimately though, the wide range of flavors, complexity, and overall quality put in both of these beers is wonderful, and make this a limited release ale that is a must grab when I see the next year’s offering.

Prost!

Snowmageddon (2012) by Rahr and Sons' Brewery

Welcome back to Pope Crisco's Intoxico,

Today was a wonderful, uncomplicated day for myself as it was a day off from work without that awkward call to the boss to feign illness to cover a need for release from the hoards of the ignorant masses that failed to read the numerous documents outlined in their mortgage agreements.

This morning, in the comfort of my own home and pajamas, I submitted a few resumes, and then worked on modifying a few aspects of my blog that I thought would be for the better.

To top off what has so far been a very pleasurable day, I am enjoying a midday craft beer, Rahr and Sons' seasonal offering Snowmaggedon. This beer, part of the brewery's “to thee series,” is an American /double imperial stout that was brewed by the Ft. Worth institution in tribute to the collapse of their roof after an unusual snowstorm in February of 2010, and the people who helped in the recovery.

Pouring the beer into a fashionable Rahr and Sons' pint glass (you can get your own and a sampling of their fine beers at their brewery tours) a chocolate colored head forms atop a dark, black ale that lacks any translucence what-so-ever. The head starts off strong, but dissipates to a dimes width quickly. Despite the minimal head, lots of pretty, sticky lacing mark the glass as the brew is consumed.

Aromas of toffee with a slight, floral hoppiness come off the freshly poured beer.

The initial sip of beer is full of toffee and dark chocolate notes that develop into a warm, toasted coffee like flavor. On the back end of the palate a raspberry sensation mingles with a slight alcohol hotness, that is not altogether unexpected due to the ale's 10% ABV.

Snowmageddon is a good, decent beer, but does not excite this drinker as much as the other big beers offered by this brewery.

Before leaving, please look at the new outlay of this blog, and let me know if it’s an improvement or not, and why. I appreciate your time, and input.

Prost!

Bottle Caps Needed!!

Hello all in the beer blogging and drinking community,

Currently I am working on a small "set" to display my reviewed beers that will include a backdrop of beer  bottle caps, and while I am collecting quite a few on my own, the quantity and variety i am looking for will be easier to obtain with your help.

What do you get out of it?
Well, I can offer an honorable mention to all, and if 18 and in the United States, I am willing to put the names of submitters into a drawing for a few cigars.

If interested in helping me, please email me at intoxicobeer@gmail.com with the header "Bottle Caps" for details.

Thanks for your support!

Ass Kisser Double IPA by Ass Kisser Ale

Well, after a busy week at work, Friday is finally here. Looking forward to a weekend full of Rahr and Sons’ beer, tomorrow being the anniversary of their roof collapse during a freak snowstorm in 2010. They will be having festivities, including a run for people without the common sense to drive cars, and their brewery tour, which is one of the best ways to spend a weekend afternoon in Cowtown with the missus. 

Partly to celebrate the coming of the weekend, and partly to get this done before I am ravaged by a cold that is knocking at my door, I am popping the top off of an Ass Kisser Double IPA by Ass Kisser Ales (although brewed under contract by Rahr And Sons’ of Fort Worth, TX.)

Pouring the bomber into an imperial pint glass, the beer settles and reveals a dark orange hued beverage that is as cloudy as it is full of agitated, tiny bubbles of carbonation.    A wonderfully frothy, off-white head is formed, and as the beer goes down my gullet, stays true, and creates a well-defined striation of lacing on the sides of its vessel.

The nose of this libation is full of spicy hop notes, backed up by a warm, yeast, or biscuit like aroma.

As the first sip of this fermentable mingles with my taste buds and my moustache, nice, pointed floral hop bitterness is enjoyed. As the tartness subsides, a nice caramel malt backend gives the beer a pleasant grapefruit and tangerine body. This flavor is wrapped in a velvet mouthfeel that dries out as it’s consumed.

Tomorrow, barring a freak internet outage I should be uploading a review of Rahr and Sons’ 2012 Snowmageddon. Until then, keep drinking!

Prost!

Big Swell IPA by Maui Brewing Company

Well, I have wasted another day of my life at a job that sucks the soul out of me, but I am happy to be here, with you, wonderful beer blog readers.

After a day of listening to people complain about my employer, largely based on their own lack of personal responsibility for their finances (I had a woman literally complain about her delinquency, in essence, because she didn’t read the bill she receives every month), to my faceless dozens, the readers of this blog.  It’s nice to be back, I missed the excitement of writing for you all.

The past two days have been particularly slow on the floor, so I spent the time in-between calls envisioning and outlining ideas for a layout of this site, and other improvements that require more capital than I can outlay for the short term according to my wife (AKA El Jefe), but still exciting to think about none the less.

Tonight, after a meal of wonderful red curry, and while listening to jazz on Pandora, I am enjoying Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing Company.

Lacking any care or restraint when pouring the beer, I created a stupid amount of head. From one 12-ounce can, I almost overfilled a 20-ounce pint glass. Needless to say, this beer has the potential to make some very decent amounts of fluffy, off white foam. As well as being impressive in size, the bubbles that make up the head, much like the ones making their way from the bottom of the pint, are tiny, producing a very aesthetic drinking experience.

Living up to the can’s boastful proclamation of being a “big, hoppy, bold, smooth, and hoppy” beer, the aroma, which is sharp and aggressive with pine smells accented with floral notes, is the making of a fist before knocking you out with similar flavors.

Now, I cant say that this wasn’t influenced by the idea of drinking a beer brewed in Hawaii, or if my palate was off kilter for the first sip, but I swear I tasted pineapple initially. This is not a flavor I am familiar with in beer, but I found it quite interesting.  After this brush with pineapple dissipated, the prominent flavor was that of pine hops that developed a slight orange citrus essence on the backend. This transition helped cut some of the beer’s initial bitterness with just the hint of sweetness.

The beer had a smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel that was wet while being consumed, however left a crisp, dry finish on the palate.

This beer really hit a lot of the high notes that I look for in India pale ales: crisp bright flavors, a full-bodied, complex, hop character with a little sweetness to pull it all together.

Prost!

Santos Black Kolsch by Saint Arnold Brewery

Well, the Super Bowl is underway, but I couldn’t tell you anything about the game. While countless millions have huddled around televisions, I have been doing taxes and planning with my wife an excursion to Austin later in the month with part of our expected tax returns. Of course I also found time to fit in time to write two posts for this blog, and upload them earlier this morning, and even play a few games of hockey on my PS3.

To continue my day of semi-productive leisure I have worked in a moment to pop a top or two while my wife prepares dinner, specifically the Texas emblazed caps off of bottles of Saint Arnold Brewery’s Santo, a beer that is described by the brewery as a dark kolsch, which, to quote their website, “technically doesn’t exist as a style, but this is as close as [they] can come to describing it.”

Being a hue that I would call a true dark umber, this beer is one of the darkest, yet somewhat still marginally translucent, beer I’ve had.  Although it starts with a semi aggressive decant, and a head about the thickness of half a finger’s form, the drinker is left with about a dime’s width in a few moments of pouring.

Taking a whiff off the head, a yeast aroma is most prominent, mixed with hints of malt and caramel.

The first brush of beverage across the palate offers the drinker a medium light bodied caramel flavor with a warm nuttiness. Bitterness is almost nonexistent, making the drink a little monotone on the back of dark malt. Combining the flavor with a moderate alcohol content at 4.7% and dry finish, this beer is good for session drinking, or enjoying in the warm Texas Springs and Summers.

Not the most complex or unique beer, but definitely worth the try.

Prost!

CAO OSA Sol Lot 58

Hola, smokers of the leaf.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday for most people, but for myself, it’s just Sunday. Instead of obsessing over grown men chasing and jumping atop the carrier of a ball, I would rather see men chase a small piece of rubber while ice skating and, in frustration, pummel bodies against bodies, and fists against faces. It’s not that football can’t be exciting; it’s just not my brand of obsession. (Ironically, I have a fair amount of obsession regarding old NFL films summarizing past Super Bowls.)

I can’t imagine anyone cares about this obsession, or at least most Americans.

Without a need to hold out for a celebratory cigar, I am smoking my ration of tobacco with my morning coffee, and listening to John Coltrane via Pandora as the rest of the family sleeps.  

This morning I have decided to pull a CAO OSA Sol Lot 58.

OSA stands for Olancho San Agustin, a location in Honduras where the wrapper leaf was harvested, and is rolled with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, with Honduran and Nicaraguan filler.  The 58 by 6.5 cigar is hefty and firm between my fingers, and the light brown wrapper feels moderately oily against my skin.

The initial light is full of robust pepper and generic spice, accented by some leather and very slight coffee notes.  This full bodied beginning quickly tempers within the first inch of the cigar, and drastically mellows out the peppery introduction into a medium bodied symphony of the same described flavor notes, bringing out more of the leather essence than any other taste in the smoke’s profile.

Throughout the cigar’s progression, the spice notes continue to dissipate and become more and more subtle. By the last half a wonderful roasted nut flavor takes hold and continues to develop till the cigar has to be put down to avoid charring my mustache.

Overall, this is another example of CAO’s superb blending, and a testament to their dedication to providing quality tobacco products to their customers., and is a beyond doubt “must try.”

Four Fantastic Things #5: Four wonderful Texas beers (2011)

Hello,

I hope that 2011 was a good year for everyone. For myself, it brought a lot of changes, including some for the better, and others not so much.

In celebration of change, and of my home state, I felt it would be interesting to look back at the new and unique beers that my relocation offered over the past year, and list some of my favorite Lone Star brews (which ironically does not include any beer from Lone Star Brewery).

For those unfamiliar with this series of posts, this is not a “best of,” but just a list of recommended consumables, and is not arranged in a particular order relative to my opinion of quality.

#1 Sailing Santa by Saint Arnold’s Brewery (Houston, TX)

This seasonal bomber from the “first Texas craft brewer” is probably a bit difficult, if not all together impossible, to obtain as I write this review in early February. Combining their also delicious Elisa IPA with their regular Christmas seasonal offering, St. Arnold has created a wonderful example of a complex hoppy beer without overpowering the beverage with hop bitterness.

I thought that I had previously reviewed this beer formally, but it appears I was mistaken. Perhaps, with a little luck, I will be able to get another bomber as 2012 comes to a close.

#2 (512) India Pale Ale (Austin, TX)

This was one of the first beers, upon my return to Texas, to really get me excited about the Texas Craft and Micro beer scene. First sampled at the Ft. Worth Gingerman, the beer is a wonder mélange of citrus hops with a nice, warm malt backend. Exhibiting a strong grapefruit body, it was love at first sip, and depressing to know I can’t find this in bottles as of yet.

#3 Pecker Wrecker by Rahr and Sons Brewery (Ft Worth, TX)

Although I feel that Rahr and Sons’ normal production line, while still quality beer, is not the most impressive to come out of the state, their big beers have been nothing but absolutely wonderful. Usually I bemoan spending 9 bucks on 22 ounces of beer, however Rahr’s offerings have always been worth the extra cost, and are examples of what joy and wonder can be created with excellent know how and quality ingredients.  Pecker Wrecker, an imperial pilsner, has been my favorite of these commitments to fine brewing.

You can read the full review of this hop forward beer here. 

#4 Real Ale Brewing Company’s Coffee Porter (Blanco, TX)

Diverging from the hop-forward beers of the previous three recommendations in this list, Real Ale Brewing Company’s collaborative effort with Katz Coffee Roasters produces a wonderfully complex and full bodied explosion of chocolate malts, coffee, and slight floral hop flavors on the palate.

This is another beer which, while I loved the hell out of it like the above-mentioned Sailing Santa, was consumed during a time that I was neck deep in a wading pool of my own self-doubt and loathing. Expect to see this beer reviewed in greater depth later in 2012. 

Shiner Wild Hare by Spoetzl Brewery

Hello readers,

Well, to quote the words of the immortal Ice Cube, today was a good day, with everything from the “breakfast with no hog” to the fact I didn’t have to shoot my A-K, and stopping just shy of seeing the Goodyear Blimp indicating that, in fact, I am a pimp.

Despite a short, and not very inspiring, job interview I had at noon, the rest of the day was filled with purchasing a nice selection of craft beer, eating some of the best Thai food I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying, and now I am enjoying a “Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale,” the 103^rd beer from the Spoetzl Brewery, in Shiner, Texas.

The beer pours out a nice light amber hue with lots of active carbonation. Thanks to an aggressive pour, the thick and strong, off-white head formed.   Lacing was decent, and much more prominent than Shiner’s standard fare.

The smell of yeast is most outstanding from the freshly poured beverage, while a nice medium-bodied bouquet of floral hops augments the malt forwardness.

Just as the aroma of floral hops was not over powering, the bitterness and floral hop characteristics came off as medium-bodied in taste.  Combined with a mild malt backend and crisp finish, this beer is easily drinkable and enjoyable for, I assume, most beer friendly palates.

Wild Hare, in my humble opinion, is bringing Shiner’s offerings closer to the quality of a really good brewery. Currently I feel that the beers are only “okay” and only really preferred over the macro-produced beers they are pitted against in most Texas convince stores.

Prost!

Black Butte Porter by Deschutes Brewery

Hello boys and girls,

I know it’s been a while since I last published a review, but with Pope Crisco leading the National Hockey League in goals, assists, and in plus/minus ratings, he has little time to review beer. You might point out that these are just stats in EA Sports NHL 12, the leading hockey simulation game for the PS3 and Xbox, but I still feel like that’s progress in my life.  I guess that’s pretty sad, when you think about it in the terms of the highlight of a grown man’s life.

Perhaps if I told you that I bought a set of sweet ass Marvel Comics pint glasses that would make me seem more awesome?

No? Oh well.

Aside from video game hockey and super hero laden glassware, I do have an interview tomorrow with a law firm for a paralegal position, so with a little luck and even more charm, I will have a light out from the tunnel of the hell known as employment in a call center as a Customer Service Representative.

Tonight, as a precursor to pizza, more beer, and television watching with my wife, I am drinking Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter (and thanks to the image of Hulk on the glass, beer drinker The Thing is staying at bay).

The beer pours out a nice, dark, black hue, and easily forms a thick, tan head.  As impressively as the head forms, it quickly dissipates to a dimes width before drinking, and ultimately dies to a slight film while sipping away at the beverage.  Lacing is minimal at best.

The aroma of toffee is strong, with a warm, bready accent. As well slight chocolate note and floral hops are detected.

The first flavor to hit the palate is a sharp coffee like bitterness, but is quickly cut by sweet, malty, chocolate and toffee flavors, creating an easily drinkable, well-balanced beer.

For this style of beer, the only thing I think this brew lacks is body, which I would put on the thin side for a porter.

 Overall the beer is very decent, well balanced, and whets my appetite for more varietals from this brewery.

Prost!