My Favorite Beer: The Dark Side
Remember when I said I was great at favorites? I’m favoriting again!
Roast is something to toast to!
Dark beer is glorious! Dark beer is imbued with complexity, color, and character. The same thing that makes meat tasty (or some seared shitake mushrooms for the veggie friends out there) makes your dark beer real nice too! The Maillard Reactions that happen when you kiln or roast malt provide complexity that is the stuff people dream about. Dark beer can taste like birthday cake, smoky bacon, nuts, coffee, or something else entirely! They can be easy drinking, or challenging. They can balance sweet and spice, or they can give you a (beer-ey) hug. They can be booze bombs, table beers, or milkshakes. For all these reasons, I say
“Give me a dark beer!”
Capella Porter
The Aroma
*Some people think dark beer is “heavy.” Not true! Beer is dark (we’re talking red, brown, and black territory) because the brewer added roasted malt. Beer is “heavy” because the brewer added a lot of malt. “Heavy” is referring to the density of beer, which is mainly affected by sugars in the beer. Heavy beers are often sweet and (generally) higher in alcohol. To prove this point, try a Guinness (a very ‘light’ beer, clocking in at 4.2% ABV) along with a double IPA (often pushing 7 to 9% ABV) #TryThisAtHome
Capella porter is a jet black beer. Even the foam of this beer is a bit caramel colored and edging into the ‘brown’ territory. When you pour it cold, it smells of toasty, brown bread with the slightest whiff of coffee. As this beer warms and opens up, the aroma shifts more into espresso and a hint of boozy. It is the breakfast of champions! The head sticks around for a while and even leaves lacing on your glass (kind of similar to my favorite beer, Guinness). The beer is not overly heavy and full* and hits with roasty astringency right up front. This roast gives way to a slight sweetness and chocolatey note that guides you to a lingering finish that melds these all into a delightful linger. It’s sorta like the crispy, carnalized edges of a brownie. One of the real treats is breathing the beer up through your nose (called a retro nasal sniff) and getting that espresso fudge brownie experience!
The Finish
The finish sticks around for a while and is pleasant to experience that you don’t need another sip. As you’re contemplating the finish, you think “this is great, I can’t wait to do it again…” It’s at this moment, you’re suddenly struck with the realization that there’s some in your glass and you can do that again. It is this exact thought process that brings you to the bottom of the glass one smile at a time.
This is why it is my favorite beer…
