When the Lights Go Out

When the Lights Go Out by Sun King Brewery (judged under BJCP category 30A, Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer) is a coffee porter. That pretty much says it all.

The beer pours a deep mahogany with a dense off-white head, and the aroma exhibits a low level of coffee and cocoa roast, and bit of bready malt, but not much else. It’s pretty restrained.

That restraint carries through to the flavor, where this comes aross as a modest roasty beer with a touch more coffee character than we might expect from any porter. There’s medium bitterness, no noticeable hops flavor, and a dry finish. The body is medium, with a touch of alcohol warming.

It’s entirely possible that this beer had a bit of age on it, or suffered from a bit of oxidation, dulling its flavors. It didn’t have any overt faults, but it only hit a few notes, and not that noticeably. A pleasant – but ultimately forgettable – beer.