Coffee Hidden Pipe Porter
Raleigh Brewing Company
Story by:
Chris Guest
Coffee Beer
Year-Round
North Carolina
United States
Judges Ratings 79
Aroma: 23 / 24
Flavor: 30 / 40
Appearance: 6 / 6
Mouthfeel: 8 / 10
Overall Impression: 12 / 20
Description
Great cities have great legends. Here’s one of Raleigh’s: at the Civil War’s end, Thomas Briggs hid his money from Union troops by stuffing it into pipes which he buried underground. He later uncovered his riches and built a thriving hardware store in downtown Raleigh. Now it’s your turn to unearth a treasure trove of aromatics and flavors, including cocoa, creamed coffee, espresso, molasses, and a hint of blackberries. It’s all balanced by a moderately high bitterness. We use Oak City Roaster’s Kabum bean to really drive up the coffee in this beer!
Beverage Profile
ABV: 6.30%
IBUs: 26
Served at: (40° – 45° F)
Hops: East Kent Goldings
Malts: Brewers Malt, Munich II, Caramel 45, Chocolate, Black Barley
Judges Review
By Josh Weikert
Judges Ratings 79
Aroma: 23 / 24 / 24
Flavor: 30 / 40 / 40
Appearance: 6 / 6 / 6
Mouthfeel: 8 / 10 / 10
Overall Impression: 12 / 20 / 20
This beer had one of the nicest aromas I’ve put my nose into in quite a while, which made the come-down in the flavor all the more disappointing.
First things first, though – this is a very pretty beer. It pours a quite clear, rich, red-brown mahogany color with a moderate, tan head that was fairly persistent. And that aroma: rich notes of butter cookie, dark chocolate, espresso beans and toffee. Really impressive.
And then you take a sip. Simply put, the beer tastes hollow. There’s almost none of the aroma to be found in the flavor, to my great regret. There’s a bland, stale coffee flavor, medium bittering and no real character malts shining through, nor any hop flavor. Even the finish is dull: balanced, with a faint coffee aftertaste and a slight buttery note.
The beer is a let-down. The aroma is lovely – truly one of the best in my recent experience – but it’s all downhill from there. Not a dumper, but not one to stock up on for a good snowstorm party either.
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