Beer Me: Stout & Porter

A couple weekends ago, John and I turned our wine night into a beer night with a Stout and Porter theme. The frigid temps outside had us craving a warming brew for the winter. The stouts were plentiful. The porters were a little more difficult to come by, which we were surprised about. Nevertheless, we found plenty to taste. Let's dive in to a couple, shall we?

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Deschutes Brewery has just recently come to Ohio from Oregon so when we saw a single bottle of their porter, we snapped it up to add to the stash.

From their site: "With a dark beer as our first and flagship brand, Black Butte defined Deschutes as a radical player. A slight hop bitterness up front enhances the distinctive chocolate and roasted finish. It’s prized for its creamy mouthfeel and intense complex flavors."

We all thought this was a porter that drinks like a stout. Not nearly as heavy as you'd normally find in a typical porter but definitely worth trying. Only 30 IBU's so not bitter at all.

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Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

I picked this one out because it said it had a licorice flavor. Even though I don't like black licorice, I thought that was an interesting flavor to add to a porter.

From the site: "Kalamazoo Stout represents stouts in the Bell's year-round roster, offering a blend of dark chocolate and coffee flavors with just a hint of brewer's licorice. One of our oldest recipes, it balances a significant hop presence against the roast malt body."

The licorice flavor did not really come through on this at all. My concerns about it being overpowering were quelled with the first sip. As a whole, it was just so so and I probably wouldn't buy this again. Not our favorite Bell's by any means which is a shame. They usually produce such winners.

There were others we tried too but that's all for today!