Thursday, December 10, 2009

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Beer: Black Butte Porter
Brewer: Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR (USA)
Bottle: 12 fl. oz.
ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: 30
Served in: Pint glass
Place of Purchase: Silver Liquor, Sherman Oaks, CA
Price: $2 per bottle

Mugsy and Jugsy really wanted to get our hands on a Jubelale from Deschutes Brewery, but after combing through all of our local "rare find" brew stores, we still came up empty handed! Not ones to be deterred, we decided to review one of Deschutes's first beers, the Black Butte Porter!

The brewery actually gets its name from the scenic Deschutes River which winds down through central Oregon and upon whose banks the brewery was originally founded in 1988. They pride themselves on producing (and experimenting with) quality craft beers.

That's handy; since we pride ourselves on drinking and appreciating quality craft beers!

In every proper review, your trusted husband & wife team of Beeraucrats will examine the Appearance, Aroma, Taste, Mouth-Feel, Drinkability and Overall Rating of the Beer and arrive at a Total Score from 1 to 10.

Black Butte Porter

APPEARANCE:

Mugsy: They don't call this Black Butte for nothing! Color is indeed black. Can only see hints of lighter brown when held to the light. Thick, creamy, beige colored head which dissipates some but not completely. Leaves lots of thick lacing.
Jugsy: Dark brown, almost black with a medium frothy head that lasts a while. With a keen eye, you can see carbonation when held directly to the light. Sudsy lacing on the glass.

AROMA:

Mugsy: Strong roasted malt aroma with hints of coffee and maybe even a little licorice. Faint scent of toffee and caramel.
Jugsy: Yeast and roasted malt aromas are the first to hit the nose, followed by chocolaty malts and coffee/toffee scents. Chocolate scent intensifies as the beer warms and I think I detect a slight hint of vanilla as well.

TASTE:

Mugsy: Roasted malt at the forefront. Aftertaste is slightly of hops but leaves the mouth full of chocolate, specifically cacao blended with a hint of slight caramel and even some chickory.
Jugsy: Mild yeast and burnt malt flavors at first blush. There's a bitter and acidic element to the palate, something between hops and strong coffee. Aftertaste is heavy on chocolate and bitter coffee grounds.

MOUTH-FEEL:

Mugsy: While it does coat the tongue just a bit, this beer is surprisingly light going down; not anywhere near as heavy as it looks. Not a lot of carbonation present. I'm quite amazed at its lightness!
Jugsy: Initial impact seems like it's going to be creamy but this is interrupted by somewhat watery consistency and carbonation. The carbonation gives this beer a sharp, biting finish.

DRINKABILITY:

Mugsy: If you wanted to drink all day and had only porters from which to choose, this would be the way to go. Easy to drink; not heavy or soupy at all, like so many porters and stouts can be. And at 5.2% ABV, I'd have no problem drinking quite a few of these.
Jugsy: As porters go, Black Butte is light - yet it targets all the rich flavor notes one expects of a porter. At 5.2% ABV, this is a beer you can drink all night.

OVERALL:

Mugsy: I'm amazed at how much flavor has been packed into such a drinkable porter. Quite complex, yet easy to throw back. Would go well with roasts, potatoes, soups -- you know, comfort food. Nice job!
Jugsy: This is a good beer, but not fantastic. I've heard a lot of good things about Deschutes Brewery, so my expectations may have been a bit high. I will certainly try some of their other beers to get a better idea of what they produce, but I probably won't be revisiting this one too often. In fact, I'm going to let Mugsy finish my beer now!

SCORE:
Mugsy: 7.65
Jugsy: 6

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