Tasting Tuesday - Coffee Porter

I am pretty stoked about this review for a couple of reasons. I'm a big fan of Real Ale Brewing Company, and I love malty stouts and porters. As such, I was thrilled when they released another limited run coffee porter. A lot of beer nerds around here were excited about it, and I'm certainly no exception. This brew features organic fair trade coffee from Katz's Coffee and is gaining a ton of goodwill around Texas for that alone.

Shade Grown Coffee Porter

Real Ale Brewing Company - Blanco, TX, USA

Style: American Porter

ABV: 5.6%

IBUs: 40

Appearance: Extremely similar to black coffee, unsurprisingly. Has a nice burgundy or ruby coloring to it that makes it really nice to look at though. Thick, rocky head - 1.5 fingers at least, which surprised me. Side note: if you don't drink this out of a mug, you are doing it wrong.

Aroma: The coffee is front and center on the nose. What's nice is that some chocolate and brown sugar character from the malt really come through to highlight it. Almost a latté softness to it.

Taste: Again, the coffee is the star, and with good reason. It's a rich and pleasing flavor that doesn't make the overall experience more acidic. The malts act as a perfect sweetener to the bitter coffee, and the low carbonation keeps the bite at bay nicely.

Mouthfeel: As mentioned, the carbonation was low, but not so much as to thin out the beer. My initial impression was "silky" and I will stick with that. There is a slight astringency that doesn't quite fit in, but it's not enough to detract from the sweet-coffee-ness of it all.

Overall: Not shockingly, this was one my favorites I have tasted recently. I love malty beers and Real Ale executes them as well as anyone. It's not the only coffee porter on the market by far, but I think it stands out because of the fresh taste and smooth blending of all the flavors. Pick up as much of this beer as you can before it goes away.

Another one in the books. This is a really hard job. Follow me on Twitter and share your thoughts on this brew if you've been lucky enough to have it!