After getting a drink with my friends from Chapman, I stopped in at Total Wine to explore their seasonal beer section. I came across this beer from Karl Strauss and thought, "What the hell? Let's do it." It was purchased, refrigerated for a sufficient amount of time, and now it is ready for consumption.
The beer pours rather dark, but has some red translucence when held to light. It seems to be highly carbonated at first and presents a fairly dark khaki head. As the carbonation subsides, so does the head. It leaves almost nothing on top of the beer or on the insides of the glass.
The beer is aged in Port wine barrels, and I expected to get that on the nose. Unfortunately, I do not smell Port but I do get a lot of roastiness and chocolate. Actually, it is more of a cocoa powder smell as opposed to a milk chocolate candy smell. Anyways, it smells like it shall be a delicious porter. Upon tasting, WOW. Immediately I get the Port, and I am extremely pleased with how it balances out. After the Port flavors, I get some sweet woodiness (some caramel and toffee flavors) and then it finishes slightly dry with espresso notes and that dry chocolate I smelled. However, it is not too dry. It is fairly medium-bodied and very smooth. Of course, the 8.5% ABV shows up in the aftertaste, but I do not have any complaints.
This is exactly what I am talking about when I mention Karl Strauss flexing their muscles! I am really enjoying this beer. Since it only cost me $4.99, I will definitely experiment with aging a couple of these guys too. The bottle says it ages well, so I will do it. Karl Strauss, keep making beers like this and I will defend you and your brewers with my life. I guarantee you the people that condescendingly jabber about you have never tasted things like this from you. Let's share and educate on the abilities of Karl Strauss.
