Topic Archives: Porters
Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter 2016 release
Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter releases again this year, appearing on draft and in their tasting room on October 14th, 2016. Named for the Southern Appalachian landscape, Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter features fair trade/organic coffee from Dynamite Roasting Company.
This year’s version will feature both a Mexican dark roast blend and a lighter Honduran blend.
Early in the brewing process, referred to as the hot-side, Highland adds Mexican coffee at the end of the boil, which extracts the flavors much like the way coffee is made at home. Later, on the cold-side part of brewing, Honduran coffee and a portion of the base beer are blended, allowing the coffee to concentrate, after which the hi-test liquid is injected and circulated into each tank.
Highland Brewing Company along with Dynamite Roasting Company, show their dedication to the freshness of this offering by freshly grinding the beans the morning of each brew day.
Shortly after its release in the tasting room, Thunderstruck Coffee Porter will release across Highland’s distribution areas.
Additionally, Highland aims to protect the region that inspired this beer. So for every glass purchased on October 14th, they will donate $1 to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.
Style: Porter (w/ Coffee)
Hops: Chinook, Hallertau, German Select
Malts: Briess Pale Malt, Briess Caramel 60, Briess Chocolate, Briess Midnight Wheat.
1.5 lbs of coffee per barrel
Availability: 12 oz bottles, Draft. Fall Seasonal.
Latest Return: Mid-October, 2016
5.8% ABV, 26 IBUs
Stone Vanilla Bean Porter debuts
Stone Vanilla Bean Porter has joined the Escondido, California brewery’s fall lineup.
In the past, Stone has released a vanilla bean based beer – Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean. Those that don’t mind a touch of smoke in their beer, loved it.
Stone Vanilla Bean Porter combines the flavors of a chocolate malt porter, with the world renown Madagascar Vanilla Bean. The brewery describes this beer as having a light creaminess, thanks to the world’s second most expensive spice, with chocolate and coffee undertones from the chocolate malt.
There’s nothing simple or run of the mill about this “little pod” cultivated from the finicky vines of the Indian Ocean islands vanilla orchids. The thousands of richly aromatic seeds buried inside each of these plump vanilla fruit pods became our beer-making muse for this vanilla bean chocolate malt porter recipe. Distinguished by the Madagascar vanilla bean, this lux ingredient imparts a delicate creaminess and palate-seducing softness. Additionally, its presence heightens the roundness of the chocolate undertones and hints of coffee typically associated with beers this style. Dripping in the world’s second-most expensive spice, this porter is extremely drinkable with just the right amount of vanilla bean richness and deepness.
Stone Vanilla Bean Porter is available on draft, and in 12 ounce bottles; part of the brewery’s Cabin Fever Mixed Pack.
Style: Porter (w/ Vanilla Beans)
Hops: Chinook, Magnum, Idaho 7, Motueka and Azacca
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Distribution: AK, AR, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA WI
Debut: Late September, 2016
5.9% ABV
Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee Porter is back for another round
Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee Porter, a collaboration with Hotbox Roasters, is returning to shelves for a second time. The beer first debuted in December, 2015.
Hotbox Coffee Porter features cold-extracted coffee from Burundian and Ethiopian beans, to give the base porter flavors and aromas of dark plums, chocolate and hints of blueberry.
“Hotbox Porter shows that beer and coffee were meant to be together. Digging in with Hotbox Roasters allowed us to develop a malt blend and a coffee blend that gel beautifully.” -Tim Mathews, Head of Oskar Blues brewing operations
As you’ll recall, earlier this year the brewery also partnered Hotbox Roasters to offer coffee beans in cans.
Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee Porter is available nationally in 12 ounce cans and draft through November, 2016.
Style: Porter (w/ Coffee)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Sept-Nov.
Latest Return: September, 2016
6.4% ABV, 30 IBUs
Stone 6th Anniversary Porter joins Encore Series
Stone 6th Anniversary Porter has officially joined the brewery’s 20th Anniversary Encore Series.
Back in 2002, the Stone celebrated their 6th anniversary, not with an India pale ale, but with a porter. In this case, Stone Smoked Porter the brewery kicked up “three notches” with the addition of more hops and more malt. The beer was then aged on French and American oak. The result was a big, bold beer, that was rather scare at the time. In 2016, there will be a little more to go around.
There’s a point in even our brewing lives when we came to realize that no matter how much we wanted to, we couldn’t realistically add anymore hops to our recipe. While our hop threshold is greater than most, it happened on the onset of our 6th Anniversary. Up until then, all of our anniversary beers had been increasingly amped up versions of our 1st Anniversary IPA. Which all of you know as simply Stone IPA. Instead of completely abandoning our set-in-stone stance on making big bold beers, we continued with this theme of making Increasingly more intense versions of our existing line of beers. This time we turned our attention to Stone Smoked Porter -a beer we had in our lineup since our first year. When it came to modifying our recipe. we went against the “less is more” approach and cranked it up three notches. This entailed adding more malt and more hops and conditioning it on French and American oak to add notes of toffee, cherries, dried berries and vanilla. Such noble yet gutsy experimentation doesn’t go without some mishap and at one point this smoky dark·as·night wonder was shooting out of the fermenter like a fire hose because of an unsuccessful attempt to clear a valve jammed with oak chips. Luckily the beer’s fate didn’t entirely empty down the drain, because the Stone 6th Anniversary Porter proved to fans, with its distinctive smokiness and chocolaty, coffee·like complexity, that we can brew a remarkable amount more than just awesome IPAs.
Stone 6th Anniversary Porter is a 22 ounce bottle and draft offering. Recent releases in the Encore Series include 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, and Vertical Epic 08.08.08.
Style: Smoked Porter (Oak Aged)
Hops: Tomahawk
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico
International Distribution: Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Germany; Hong Kong; Japan; Korea; Mexico; Panama; the Philippines; Singapore; Sweden; Thailand; United Kingdom
Release: Mid-April, 2016
8% ABV
Creature Comforts The King’s Ransom, a collab with Other Half
Creature Comforts The King’s Ransom, a collaboration with Brooklyn, New York’s Other Half Brewing, has been canned.
The Athens, Georgia based brewery has been teasing the collaboration for weeks on social media. The King’s Ransom is a Baltic porter, which stylistically is a higher in alcohol, more robust porter (when comparing to traditional English styles.)
“Creature Comforts is well-versed in lager brewing because of our experience dialing in the Bibo recipe over the course of a few years now, and Other Half is very versatile when it comes to recipe creation. So they brought a wealth of knowledge on flavor development. – Adam Beauchamp, Co-Founder, Brewmaster”
Distribution was not mentioned by Creature Comforts. The beer will available at the brewery and select events around Atlanta and Athens, Georgia starting April 8th, 2016.
Style: Baltic Porter
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.
Release: April 8th, 2016
10.2% ABV
Green Flash Cosmic Ristretto launches year-round in February
Green Flash Cosmic Ristretto will join the brewery’s year-round lineup in February, 2016. A graduate of the brewery’s small-batch “Genius” program.
Green Flash Cosmic Ristretto‘s base is a baltic porter, that has been infused with espresso, candi sugar, and lactose milk sugar. The beer first appeared as a part of the brewery’s pilot beer program, available in the San Diego tap room. “Ristretto” is a strong espresso drink.
Marvel at its rich black appearance with bruleed edges and mocha-colored beer foam. Breathe in its coffee aroma and sweet malts, and savor its smooth, espresso, chocolate flavor.
Green Flash Cosmic Ristretto will be a 22 ounce bottle and draft offering, starting in February, 2016.
Style: Baltic Porter (w/ Espresso)
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft. Year-round
Release: February, 2016
8.2% ABV
Left Hand Hard Wired Nitro Coffee Porter slated for February (Updated)
Left Hand Hard Wired Nitro Coffee Porter will expand the the brewery’s Nitro bottle lineup in February, 2016. Brewery reps mentioned that we’d see the beer as early as January. A tasting room release is slated for January 29th. Distribution will follow shortly after.
A few years ago, Left Hand made headlines when they launched Milk Stout Nitro, a nitrogen based edition of their popular draft offering. The nitro bottle was a first by an American craft brewery.
Left Hand Hard Wired Nitro Coffee Porter continues the tradition, nitrogenating a coffee laced porter.
Super smooth with chocolate malt, coffee and toffee notes.
Left Hand Hard Wired Nitro Coffee Porter will be available in 12 ounce bottles and draft.
Style: Porter (w/ Coffee, Nitrogen Pour)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft
Release: February, 2016
6% ABV
