Hello everyone, Fontes again. As I discussed in my last blog I like a variety of styles of craft beer. Everything from porters to pale ales. Everything from dark beer to lighter colored beer. Each style of beer has it's own unique flavor and appearance. But at this point in my life however I have a particular love affair with stouts and porters. To put it simply, these styles of beer are fantastic. They are dark and have rich, full, and bold flavors of coffee, toffee, dark chocolate, caramel, and roasted malt. Many times, the roasted malt is what gives the beer it's dark complexion and flavor. Porters and stouts are so similar that they are often intertwined. If you are looking for more information on the history of these styles of beer and how they are made, check out these two links: Porters and Porters/Stouts.
About ten months I ago I went to the Mew's Tavern located in Wakefield, Rhode Island for the first time with my parents for dinner. For those of you located in or around the Rhode Island area, I definitely recommend that you take a trip to this restaurant if you have not done so already. In addition to the restaurant, they also have three different bars located within the building. What makes this restaurant unique from other restaurants is that the Mew's Tavern offers 69 craft beers on tap all year round. On my first trip there, I ordered a beer that I never tried before. It was called Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I was simply blown away by this beer. It was like having dessert in a glass. I tasted roasted malt, and dark chocolate. It was dark, creamy and well...beautiful!! That was the first stout that I can remember trying and being absolutely blown away by. I was so excited!!
Shortley after my first vist to the Mew's Tavern, I went back with my friends on the weekend. As I was looking at the beer menu I was very tempted to get the Young's Double Chocolate Stout again, but I also wanted to try something different. In the end, I decided to try another beer that I never tried before. This time, I tried Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter. Again, my reaction was...WOW!! I was amazed at the quality of this beer. It was very similar to the Young's Double Chocolate Stout in the sense that it was dark, and had the bitter taste of dark chocolate. BUT...this beer had something more to it. It was much thicker than the Young's. As I was drinking the beer, the foam clung to the glass. You could see the rings that it formed on the glass as you drank the beer. This beer was also like having dessert in a glass and I have to say, that this is my favorite beer to drink at the moment.
If you have not tried porters or stouts yet, I highly recommend that you at least give them a try. A common misconception that is attached to porters and stouts is that they are thick and heavy. While that is true with some porters and stouts (like the Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter) it is not true with all porters and stouts. What makes these styles of beer so dark is the roasted malts that are used in the brewing process. But the roasted malts do not necessarily make the beer thick. An example of a very drinkable stout would be the Young's Double Chocolate Stout. While it is true that is dark in color, it is fairly light on the palate.
So don't be afraid of these styles of beer. They have a unique taste that you can't find with any other style of beer. You won't know if you like it until you give them a try. In my opinion, I think you will like what you taste. Cheers everyone!!
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