Oatmeal Porter

The American Porter is quite a varied style. It can be highly hopped, highly roasted, smoky, or strong -- they are all unique. With its strongly nutty, toasted oatmeal character, this one is no different. This porter is very dark brown, nearly into black, but is clear despite the darkness. It has a thick tan head, but it doesn’t stick around as long as you’d expect. Right off the bat you get a strong toasty, nutty oatmeal aroma that leads into chocolate and espresso. This is followed by some rich caramel and dried fruit (raisin) esters. The flavor is similar, and though the floral hops were faint in the aroma, they are very noticeable in their bitterness, which starts off fairly high and builds as it takes on an astringent mouthfeel when the hops combine with the mocha-like malt. Despite the oat-like character, the body is pretty light, partly due to the dry finish. While this may not be my favorite interpretation of the style, the added drinkability may have helped it find its way into the rotation on hot summer nights.