Newport Storm Angel’s Envy – Our Coastal Extremists are continuing to evolve and create new unique brews, experimenting with a good deal of success, I might add. A dark, semi-translucent porter with strong vanilla notes from the rum barrel and malt interaction. It’s surprisingly light and drinkable for a porter. It’s a good beer for cooler weather, but not unwelcome at a good barbecue, especially if paired with some pulled pork or a rack of ribs. Is anyone else hungry all of the sudden?
I find the rum barrel aging preferable to the current trend of bourbon barrel aging, as it’s a flavor that doesn’t overpower the rest of the beer. Most bourbon beers just smack of bourbon with some beer notes – even the hearty stouts are sometimes overwhelmed – but rum has a milder flavor that is easier to balance. Bourbon beers can come off as syrupy, whereas this brew’s lighter, more palatable array of flavors is a little more easy-going.
Magic Hat Burnpile – A Magic Hat smoked porter, you say? Well, shucks … every time I find myself straying from Magic Hat, they do something to bring me back. It’s like biting into a nice hot pizza, having the lava-hot sauce squirt all over your face and burn your lip, then drop it, wipe the offending marinara off and do the exact same thing all over again. I’ll admit, Magic Hat has burned me. First they changed one of my favorite beers of all time, the Jinx, then they got rid of it altogether. Shortly thereafter they ditched other classics of their contrivance to make way for the Elder Betty and their IPA on tour series. While there’s nothing wrong with these beers, it’s kind of like Michael Jordan trying to play baseball. They fit their niche so well and created some wonderful genre-defying beer … then everything changed.
So now what’s this? A nice, dark, nearly translucent smoky porter with a fine head and a pleasant balance of malt to support the smokiness, but not so heavy that it sits in one’s stomach like a Philly Cheesesteak with an egg nog chaser. For a smoked porter, it’s just right – neither too strong nor too weak – and with most of the smokiness coming in on the aftertaste rather than on the initial sip, so you get a good sense of the flavor profile before the lazy smoke drifts in to round out the flavor.
Founder’s Breakfast Stout – I won’t say where I was when I found this little gem, but I don’t think they realized what they had, because it was surprisingly cheap and I’m certainly not giving up the chance to have more. The Founder’s Breakfast Stout is a limited and delicious brew that has kept slipping from my grasp for years. Now, however, fate has brought it to me, and it does not disappoint.
While the mocha-coffee flavors are somewhat subdued, the smooth, roasty flavors all blend together beautifully to produce a whole new experience. I’m a sucker for a good coffee-beer, but this goes beyond such a simple little label. It’s billed as a double-chocolate, coffee, oatmeal stout, and it fulfills all expectations of such a description, then goes beyond. It’s smooth as silk, deep velvet black, with a rich mocha-colored foam and a body that’s not nearly as heavy as you might expect from such a rich array of flavors. Drinking this was a privilege, and I only wish I’d gotten to it sooner… and bought them out of stock.
Providence Craft Beer Week Update: This is it!! This weekend is the much-beloved Beervana, and leading up to the event, Providence’s finest are throwing their beer-hats into the ring with this massive list of events. Prost!
Monday October 14
The Avery – TBD 7-9 pm
Broadway Bistro – Goose Island Food Pairings 5 pm
Doherty’s East Ave Cafe – Founders Pint Night 8-10 pm
GCB – Two Roads Brewery Night
High Spirits Liquors – Weyerbacher Tasting 5-7 pm
Julians – Foolproof Brew Co Night 9-11 pm
Nikki’s Liquors – Long Trail/Otter Creek/Wolavers/The Shed tasting
Scurvy Dog – Harpoon Night
Tuesday October 15
The Avery – Founders Night 7-9 pm
E&O Tap – Abita 9-11 pm
Doherty’s Ale House – Heavy Seas Pint Night 8-10 pm
GCB – City Steam Brewery Night 8 pm
High Spirits Liquors – Heavy Seas Tasting 5-7 pm
Julians – Founder’s Night 9-11 pm
McBrides – Innis & Gunn 7 pm
Nikki’s Liquors – Stone Beer Tasting 5-7 pm
Scurvy Dog – Founders Night
What Cheer Tavern – Foolproof Brewing
Wild Colonial – PVD Craft Beer Week Vermont Style
Wednesday October 16
The Avery – Stone Night 7-9 pm
E&O Tap – Mayflower 9 – 11 pm
GCB – Maine Beer Company Night 8 pm
Doherty’s Ale House – Sebago Pint Night 8-10 pm
Doherty’s East Ave Cafe – Grey Sail Pint Night 8-10 pm
High Spirits Liquors – Sam Adams Tasting 5-7 pm
Julians – Stone Night 9-11 pm
Nikki’s Liquors – Firestone Walker Tasting 5-7 pm
Scurvy Dog – Stone Night
Shannon View Inn – Wednesday – TBD 8-10 pm
Sullivan’s Pub – Revival 8-10 pm
What Cheer Tavern – Narragansett Brewing
Wild Colonial – Heavy Seas Cask Tapping 7 pm
Thursday October 17
The Avery – TBD7-9 pm
E&O Tap – Revival 10 pm -12 am
Doherty’s Ale House – Mayflower Pint Night 8-10 pm
Doherty’s East Ave Cafe – Goose Island Pint Night 8-10 pm
High Spirits Liquors – Lagunitas Brewing 5-7 pm
GCB – Revival Brewing Night 8 pm
Julians – Allagash Night 9-11 pm
Nikki’s Liquors – Founders Tasting 5-7 pm
Reye’s Liquors – Lagunitas Brewing Co 5-7 pm
Scurvy Dog – Lagunitas Night
Snookers – Vermont Pint Night Featuring Long Trail and Otter Creek
Track 84 – Sebago Cask 7 pm (Beervana Ticket Raffle)
What Cheer Tavern – Grey Sail Brewing
Friday October 18
Beervana Fest! 6:30-10 pm
Julians – Official Beervana Afterparty 10 pm-12:30 am
What Cheer Tavern – Beervana Afterparty featuring Revival
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