Tyranena Devil Over A Barrel

Beer: Devil Over A Barrel Imperial Oatmeal Porter
(That is a hell of a name huh?)
Brewery Location: Lake Mills, WI
Beer Style: Porter
ABV: ???? My guess is around 9 to 10%



I've got the itch for heavier beers right now, and I love this time of year coming up with many seasonal releases and special beers that come out in the fall and winter months. I was lucky enough to get a bottle of this from one of my regular trading people as a huge extra. This was a beer I've wanted to try, but I was pretty sure I was not going to be able to get a bottle of this. I've reviewed several offerings from Tyranena, and they are a really good regional brewer, and as far as I know I think they are only available in Wisconsin.

This beer pours a very dark brown with slight amber highlights when held up to the light. A very thin tan head sat on top of this beer, and it dissipated just after the pour, and I expected it on this one. The nose isn't as overpowering with bourbon as many others, but I like that, and I can tell this has more going on for it than just bourbon. I also get scents of espresso, bitter coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. I am really liking the nose on this beer. The flavor profile takes the nose and brings the coffee flavors in full throttle before melding into a rich and roasted full flavored oatmeal porter with a splash of bourbon and vanilla in the background. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, and is bordering on "chewy", with medium carbonation that is velvety smooth. I only really feel the warming alcohol after the swallow on this beer. The drinkability is really nice on this beer, and I wish I had more for the Winter.

This was a really good beer. The trend of bourbon barrel aged beers is becoming almost comical with most brewers, and so many of them are not done very well, but this beer brings together a delicious porter and provides perfect balance with the bourbon and coffee. I hope they make this beer again, and I hope I am able to get more of this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Sinebrychoff Porter

Beer: Sinebrychoff Porter
Brewery Location: Kerava, Finland
Beer Style: Baltic Porter
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 7.2%

I've been looking forward to drinking this for a while. Kahn's has two varieties of this on their shelves. The one that I am reviewing I am assuming is from their latest shipment. They also have another variety on this that was brewed back in 2000. It was two dollars more, so I just went with this instead. After looking at the company's product line in America, this may the first and only beer that I have from them.

Pours a deep black with slight ruby highlights when held up to the light. A non-aggressive pour reveals a huge frothy tan head that held tight for about half the beer and left good lacing on the walls of my pint glass. A nice caramel scent first hits my nose, but when I really got a good smell I got complex notes of dark fruits (raisins and plums) with some bitter chocolate and coffee. A very nice nose on this. The flavor profile takes the nose even further. The first sip is rich in complexity with toffee, sweet malt, bitter chocolate, and coffee sharing the workload perfectly on my palate. The mouthfeel is full bodied, but is about as smooth as you are going to find in a porter with medium carbonation and just a slight touch of warming alcohol. I would gladly drink this again, and now I wish I would have bought the 2000 version for a taste as well.

This is my favorite porter of the year thus far. The taste and mouthfeel are just so comforting on this like you were having a bowl of your grandmother's chicken noodle soup. It provides that kind of comfort for me here. I know that Party Pak and Kahns both carry this.

Cheers!
Matt

Three Floyds Alpha Klaus

Beer: Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Christmas Porter
Brewery Location: Munster, IN
Beer Style: American Porter
Serving Style: on-tap
ABV: 7.5% ABV



For New Year's Eve I was at the party put on by the Hoosier Beer Geeks. They sponsored a party that brought this beer, Delirium Tremens,
Two-hearted ale, and a special keg of Sint Sylvester Vooranvond from Brugge Brasserie for New Years. I had a great time and I am really happy that there is a group around town trying to advance craft beer in the Indy market. Thank you again HBG for a great evening and bringing some great beer to Deano's Vino.

I actually had this several times out a bottle and haven't yet ever had it on tap. I was really surprised it wasn't on-tap at Three Floyd's tap room the day after Christmas. As I said before I just can't get away from stouts and porters right now.

It was served too cold for my liking and I waited for it to warm up a bit. It pours a deep mahogany brown color with soft ruby accents. This is about as close to black as you can get without actually being black. A small tan head sits on the beer that left minor lacing on the walls of the pint glass. The nose isn't as I remember out of a bottle. It's still a little cold, but I just get a small dose of grassy hops, but the roasted malt is the main thing my nose picks up. The taste is what makes this memorable on tap. A rather rich roasted coffee grain flavor profile with slight hints of bitter chocolate and caramel is slightly offset with the hops coming to the palate, but still sticks to it's porter roots quite well. The mouthfeel is also very nice being smooth and creamy, but still has a bit of chewiness to it as well. I would gladly drink this again.

I am really racking my brain on this one, but this is not how I expected this to taste on tap. Out of the bottle is more intense with hop flavoring and a better flavor profile. This is the first beer that I prefer out of a bottle vs. on tap. Regardless though, this is still a great beer, and is well worth the try if you see it out on tap or in the bottle.


Thanks again Hoosier Beer Geeks for bringing this on tap, and for a great evening of good beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Beer: Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Brewery Location: Bend, OR
Beer Style: Porter
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 5.5%


This is another beer that I traded for. Deschutes is making some incredible beer, and is considered a top regional brewer in the country. They even have several beers that beer snobs and geeks alike would love to get their hands on. One in particular called "The Abyss" is only released once a year and is considered one of the very best beers in the world according to Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate.

The porter style is something I've only come around to in the last year or so, and particularly this winter I've been getting more into good porters. The porter is falling out of favor in the UK, but American brewers have taken off with the style. Porters are a close cousin of stouts, but stouts will have a much more pronounced roasted barley character and that is one of the main style differences.

Pours a dark mahogany and slight ruby accents with with a bubbly two finger tan head that left moderate lacing on the walls of my glass. Good toasted malt and roasted grain dominate the nose. The taste matches the nose quite well. Very strong on the roasted malt and hop flavor with coffee and bitter chocolate making their way onto the back of your palate. It has a very dry finish that is slightly sweet at the end. The mouthfeel is the winner on this beer for me. Silky smooth texture that borders almost creamy. This is a great drinking porter that is just overall a great beer.

I really enjoyed this beer. This isn't a big porter, but that isn't always what is called for. The body on this beer is still my favorite aspect of it. Overall just a great example of the style. Not tops in the category, but a great example none-the-less.

Cheers!
Matt