This pours a deep black. Black as the night during a storm, such as tonight in Columbus, Ohio. There was some head on this, roughly a soft caramel color, but that faded into oblivion like the band names of all those countless hit songs in the 80's (Naked Eyes, Boy Meets Girl, The Vapors, Soft Cell, Kajagoogoo, Escape Club). The aroma is dark fruit heavy, with tones of coffee, chocolate, roasted malts and sweetness. 5.2% ABV, 30 IBUs, I can't wait to get this on my taste buds. Huh... This is damn good. The flavor has more roasted malt flavor with hints of coffee and caramel, adding just a tinge of the dark fruit from the nose toward the backend. This is a lighter bodied beer that drinks smooth and finishes slightly bitter (which dissipates almost as fast as it hits). Mouthfeel has a faint creaminess about it at first and then Jennie kicks my Gia cat on accident. The poor little kitten did nothing to you, she's just assisting you in the layout of your artwork (much like she was helping/observing me while I was painting today).
This saddens me that this is the last bottle of this, as this is damn good, I'd have to say probably my second favorite regular porter (by regular, I mean non-Imperial). My favorite being Flying Dog's Road Dog. Also, a side note, this is only the second regular porter we've reviewed. Huh.
4.6/5 caps
-Nathan
Hey, I didn't kick the kitty! I brushed past a bag of my art supplies and bumped that, which startled her to the point where she jumped about a foot in the air. I have been picking a good amount of cat hair off the strips, though. Thank you, Jasmine, for laying on every piece of artwork we leave out to dry overnight.
I was fortunate enough to have the other bottle of this awhile ago. I rather enjoyed it then, as I do now. I've become a pretty big fan of porters. Stouts can be a little heavy on my palate, but porters, with their lovely roasted notes, are sensuous and sexy, kind of like Taye Diggs shirtless. Or Nathan. Yes, Nathan, you lovely roasted beast... wait, this isn't working at all. Let's move on to the beer.
Nathan, that wonderful sexybeastmammal, described this beer to a T. Mine has had a bit more time to warm, since Nathan took lead and I've been, well, clearly working on a piece of artwork. The stone fruits really come out a bit more as it warms, which is lovely. Plums and nectarines, chocolate, coffee, and a hint of caramel dance across my tongue and down my throat. Light-bodied, and yes, somehow creamy, it's a great porter. Those dark fruits are a flavor I'm not necessarily accustomed to in a porter, and yet they're so welcome here.
I'm glad we stumbled across this, and were able to obtain a good selection of Deschutes beers. I do have to add, I think this one is my favorite. Maybe not... the other two are such a distant memory by now, and there are still a couple of ounces of this in my glass. At the same time, when Nathan pulled this one out of the fridge, my palate smiled in happy memory.
4.75/5 caps
-Jennie
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