So, I’m in Hawaii now. Enjoying the sun and the beach. I’ll be back in the new year with new posts. I’ve got another day of this Calendar to go and then I’ve got my write-up on Beau’s New Lang Syne which you can find in liquor marts and beer vendors around town. As a spoiler, I’d go buy one. It’s a fantastic beer and I think it’ll be a great addition to your New Years celebrations.

Today we have a beer from DuClaw brewery and is called Sweet Baby Java. It’s an Espresso Bean Infused Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter and sounds pretty tasty.

In 1996 Duclaw brewery opened its doors in Bel Air.  Within one year it had been dubbed Bel Air’s hippest establishment by a local newspaper. The founder, Dave Benfield, had one central pillar of his mission: to be cool.

Today, Dave and brew master Jim Wagner are the ones responsible for the wide array of craft beers made by Du Claw. Through the experimentation they have created over 35 unique beers and countless variations and blends.  They’ve got quite the write-up on their website, check it out.

Porters are a dark style of beer that was originally developed in London from well-hopped beers made with brown malt.  Originally this style of beer was created by mixing an old ale (stale or soured), a new ale (brown or pale ale) and a weak one (mild ale) to combine and create a new beer altogether than balanced the flavours and left a pleasing beer that was neither like the new nor the old.

Porters and Stouts are of the same stock.  In fact, when Guinness first launched its world-renowned stout it was as a focus on the mass-production of Porter.  At the time, there were two strengths of porters, either X or XX.  Stout at the time simply referred to a strong or robust ale, it has since developed due to the advent of coffee roasters and many of the malts that they could use to impart both colour and flavor, but originally this was its meaning.  Porters were part of this thread.

Appearance – Pours an abysmal black with about a quarter finger of tan head.
Smell – Peanut butter on the nose along with some undertones of chocolate and coffee and roasted malt.
Taste – Brings some crazy peanut butter notes dominating the palate along with some undertones of roasted malt, coffee beans, and chocolate.
Mouthfeel – Medium bodied with good carbonation and nice semi-sweet finish.
Overall – Good beer. Brings some interesting combinations of peanut butter, chocolate and coffee that, while the latter two are undertones, work well together. The porter base provides a good vehicle for these flavours without overpowering them and allows it to really be what it says it is.
Do I like it? – I did like it. I love peanut butter and it was certainly at the forefront of this beer for me. The addition of the chocolate and coffee balanced it out a bit.