Imperial Porter
Central City Brewers + Distillers

650 mL bottle purchased at Mid Columbia Wine & Spirits in Kennewick, WA, for under $6 (right now I’m too lazy to hunt for the receipt). I picked this up on my way home from camping in the Umatilla Mountains. I have not yet seen this in my neck of the woods, but hopefully that will change, as Red Betty (or whatever it’s called in the U.S.) has been turning up in various places locally.

Poured into a shaker glass, this was a mahogany-ish color that took on a more ruby-like hue when held up to direct light. There was an inch or so of tan, bubbly foam that left lots of lace.

Initially, this smelled of molasses and booze. As it warmed up, things became more complex, with elements of dark fruits and smoke.

A little more bitter than the nose lets on, but it’s nowhere near to be to an objectionable degree. The bitterness, along with some dark fruit flavors, balances the mollassesy notes, with tobacco and whiskey hovering in the background. Although there’s a little alcohol heat, it’s more restrained than the initial sniff led me to expect. Moderate, dry hoppy zap to the palate at the swallow.

Relatively full bodied, with a sticky, coating mouthfeel.

This could pass as a mellow Imperial Stout. It doesn’t have the hops or bitterness in the strength associated with the great ones of that style, but there’s more similarities than differences. Very tasty. I hope this becomes available in Spokane, as I could see having this after dinner or as a nightcap. Incidentally, I noticed on the label that CC also claims to be a distillery, which makes me wonder if this was barrel-aged.

 

 

 

Light aroma with some faint roast and coffee. There's a sharp roastiness to this, some faded definition on the finish. Expected a little more based on the reviews. While purchased recently there is a good chance that the bottle had sat in a warehouse for some time, as the listing says it’s retired.

 

From a bomber into pint glass.brownish foamy head that fades away leaving light traces of lacing.smells of coffee and malt .taste of dirt that I like.smooth finish.Prost❗

 

 

Never heard of this brewery before I saw it at my local Grocery Outlet, in California nonetheless. I see reviews out of Canada and Washington state only. Poured from bottle to glass. Looks almost black like a dark root beer. It has a beautiful off colour head with plenty of lacing. Smell is of a chocolate/coffee combo. Taste has a hoppiness that i didn't detect in the aroma, though it balanced well. Aftertaste was more malty than hoppy, like a porter should be. This beer kicked ass AND at 9% abv! I can't recommend a food with this beer because I believe Porters and Stouts are after meal sipping beers, but I could manage to see this one with a heavy meat like a lean steak or dessert afterwards. Ooops, I recommended it with food. It must be good!

Great beer, $4.50 650ml, 2013 vintage, lots of bottles available at brewery, smooth and dangerous 9%.
one of my favorite beers, have a couple in the cellar aging.

 

 

 

 

 

Mmmm. Good. This is an absolutely delicious beer. Smoke, chocolate, deep coffee and cola sensations. One might think they could rely on this beer as their primary food source because it oozes most of the guilty pleasures in life. I enjoyed this as a follow up to a supercharged Quadrupel on Christmas Eve, and it was the perfect way to cap off a busy day. It's a shame this is not brewed any more, so if you can find a few bottles, I recommend you snap them up!