Top 100 Beers of 2021

#6

97
Smooth Operator Peanut Butter Porter
Low Road Brewing

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Co-Owner & Head Brewer Lynette Shoaf Talks Smooth Operator Peanut Butter Porter

Who was responsible for this beer’s recipe?
The original owner of Low Road Brewing created the recipe. Since we bought the brewery last year, I have tweaked the recipe to get it where it is today.

What sets this beer apart from other examples within the style?
The balance and lighter body. It is not a thick, heavy beer like you might expect.

What makes this beer truly World Class?
This beer hits perfectly on all levels. It’s hard to find a flaw in that recipe. You can’t open just one of these.

What is your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, mouthfeel, etc.)?
The nose on this beer is incredible. It smells like you are getting ready to bite into a delightful peanut butter cup.

How popular is this beer among your faithful fans?
It’s the most popular beer among our porters and stouts. Even in the hottest months, people love it.

Where does this beer’s name come from? 
Smooth Operator was the winning suggestion from one of our regulars in a “name the beer contest.”

Is this your “desert island beer?”
Not mine personally, but we have a lot of customers that would certainly select it to get lost on a desert island with.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
A peanut butter cup in a glass!

Judge’s Second Opinion

Low Road Brewing, located in Hammond, Louisiana, is doing their part to make people pause when conjuring thoughts of Louisiana. What typically amounts to images of Mardi Gras debauchery, longing for lazy strolls through Audubon Park or empathizing about recent hurricane damage, New Orleans is the oft-thought image of Louisiana. A number of breweries in Hammond, including Low Road, are changing our thoughts of Louisiana and particularly southern Louisiana. Low Road Brewing’s Smooth Operator Peanut Butter Porter, a 6.3% ABV excursion from your standard American porter, is a fantastic reason to visit a place in Louisiana not called New Orleans.

American porters are malt-dominant dark beers, which leverage and showcase complex and flavorful dark malt. Marry that typification with creamy peanut butter and you have Low Road’s Smooth Operator, a rich marriage of dark chocolate and roast malt with enough peanut butter to satiate your cravings for both chocolate and peanut butter. Yet this beer won’t have you frantically licking the roof of your mouth to unstick that ill-advised spoonful of peanut butter. While the dark malts and hops provide bitterness, the residual malt sweetness and peanut butter ensure that any bitterness remains complementary and not dominant.

I originally wrote that this beer would pair well with a turtle cheesecake with crumbled bacon on top, and I remain committed to that statement. I will, however, also offer an additional suggestion, and that is to pair this beer with bold, assertive cheeses accompanied with a bright, fresh dark fruit jam. So, grab a glass of decadence and take, in the words of Tim and Lynette Shoaf, Low Road Brewing owners and operators, “a shady detour.”

A quick perusal of the current mid-November tap list has me immediately pining away for similar offerings from Low Road, namely their Irish Coffee Stout and iScream Shoppe Neapolitan Porter, which I can only optimistically assume are crafted with the same care as Smooth Operator Peanut Butter Porter. – Brad Darnell