A Dark Night - 2 Porters and 1 Stout

One great thing about Christmas is the good food and the associated leftovers.  Can one go wrong with  a dinner of leftovers that included– standing rib roast, baked potato, salad and pecan pie paired with Avery’s – New World Porter.  New World Porter has an ABV of 6.7% and IBU of 45.  This beer poured very dark, almost black, and had a nice creamy head.  This paired very nicely with the rib roast and the pecan pie.  Avery’s website describes New World Porter as “A traditional black porter, with a surprise twist - it's dry-hopped!!  We've expanded the porter category a bit, adding a delightful, dry hop aroma to blend with the sweet caramel and chocolate characteristics of a Robust Porter.”  It was nicely balanced and I will purchase it again.

I then tried Cutthroat Porter from Odell at an ABV of 5.1% and an IBU of 43 that pours very dark with a nice thick head.  This beer has won a number of awards over the years and I detected undertones of chocolate, smoke, and coffee.  It was interesting to have this beer after New World Porter as they are similar in style, color, and IBU; however, both have distinctive differences and both are very good.  Odell's website describes Cutthroat Porter as "Not quite a stout but definitely no lightweight, Cutthroat Porter is smooth and robust.  Inspired by the classic London porters, we use dark roasted malts to create a deep, rich color and flavor that hint at chocolate and coffee.  We named it Cutthroat Porter as our tribute to the Colorado state fish - with its own heritage and unmistakable dark coloring.  And while we're big fans of small batches, here's to the currently threatened Cutthroat population reaching mass quantities."  I would purchase Cutthroat Porter again. 

Ska’s Steel Toe Stout has an ABV of 5.4 % and IBU of 29 and Ska describes Steel Toe as “Milk Meets Its Maker.  It’s as though a cow stared into the face of God and as God told it the meaning of life we grabbed its udders and squeezed out a bucket.  This traditional English Cream Stout is brewed with actual milk sugar to create a creamy and sweet brew.  Jet-black in color, the latte frothy head will make you moo for more.”  I would love to try this with some chocolates and compare it to Left Hand’s Milk Stout.