Texas Ranger (Chipotle Porter) - Framboise Edition
Mikkeller ApS

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at the 3 Floyds pub, where even at the end of May they're still tapping obscure guest tap kegs leftover from Dark Lord Day.

Described to me by the bartender as "it's... intense," and then, after some prodding, as "a burnt up sour black mess." I of course had to try it. This was the Floyds, mind, where the waiters know better than to give mumbling beer descriptions unless those beers are worth mumbling about. This one was.

Personally, I wouldn't describe it as a sour black mess so much as it's like the black smoke that pours out of a building when a bunch of plastic has caught fire. Only, against all my anti-burning-plastic prejudices, this is really nice. The charred malt intensity is a little reminiscent of Brewdog's awful Turbo Dog, only that beer made the mistake of upping the flaming chemical nodes way too high. It's like the difference between getting a pleasant whiff of petrol and huffing gas straight from the can.

Here, the gasonline-y burnt nodes accentuate the raspberry and chocolate and the whole thing is just this intense, bizarre mindfuck of a beer.

 

 

Tap at Armsby Abbey

Big creamy darker color fluffy thick head 1 finger, pitch black thick beer.

Nose raspberries, chocolate covered raspberries! Then a bit of smoke, smoked wood. More chocolate, creamy but dark choc, lactose creamy, like raspberry sherbet, cocoa, and very faint chili peppers.

Taste quite complex, plenty of dark malts, roasted malt, dark choc, lactose creamy choc, light bitter tannin, etc. then smoke, big time smoke, peat smoke, obvious laphroaig, little scotch too. Raspberries are a plenty too, great puree, little tart, fresh fruit, tons of it too. Semi sweet sticky, syrupy, some booze, light bitterness, and a sour flavor from the raspberries. Then chili pepper heat, it takes a while but builds and adds a nice heat in the back of the throat. Finish is sticky syrupy, some heat from peppers lingering, light booze, lots of chocolate and raspberry lingering.

Mouth is fuller bodied, syrupy, light booze and pepper heat, decent carb.

Overall really interesting and complex, great chocolate covered raspberry, interesting laphroaig smoke addition, tasty but would be hard to drink more than one of these. Actually, the more I drink this, about halfway through the glass it's becoming a chore to finish, and I was going to give this a 4.5 on overall because it's really interesting and unique, but I had to take some points off due to the fact that I can barely even finish a glass.

Enjoyed on tap at the Armsby Abbey.

A - Poured into a standard tulip a nice dark brownish black hue with a good one finger mocha head that left tons of sticky side lacing and a thin mocha cloud. Quite nice.

S - Aromas of smokey chili peppers and Scotch. Delicious chocolaty Laphroaig with great berry notes. Really like smokey chocolate covered raspberries.

T - Taste is crazy complex. A bit too much whiskey for me but still here we go. Nice warm dark chocolate with super sweet raspberry jam and candies. Just delicious chocolate covered raspberries here moreso than any beer I can remember. Intermingled throughout the chocolate raspberries is a delicious smokey Laphroaig whiskey is huge by all that peat. Sour vinegar makes an appearance too. The chipotle is a bit hidden but faintly there on the finish.

M - Mouthfeel is quite nice for the style and all things considered with the big smokey peat. Carbonation is a bit high for a porter with that sourness making things interesting.

O - Overall this beer while good is a bit much. Don't think I could put back more than a tulip of this. Just too peaty and sour for my tastes, which is odd because I love peat and sour but yeah this just doesn't work. Maybe with some age it would be better. Still though I did enjoy the beer