Winter Spiced Porter
St. Paul Brewing

this place is awesome, i loved the vibe in here, and this spiced porter is anything but subtle, but they have done a great job with it. i wasnt expecting the additives to be so intense here, but it seems to work, and overall this is one of the best beers i have had from these guys to date, but it certainly isnt for everyone. heavy orange in the nose and taste here, juicy fresh and also bitter peel, probably the most forward of the extras, but i also get anise and a general mulling spice complexion that may include clove and allspice, its intense, but its great with the burnt tasting dark barley in here, and with the overall smoothness of the whole thing, it seems to extend a real long time. so many of these spiced winter beers are sugary, and this one is cool because it absolutely isnt, the spices are there without honey or molasses or gain sugar or whatever, and it really is distinct because of it. i think to make a more drinkable beer they could scale the spices back by maybe 25% or something, but i also appreciate it being intense on purpose, and really enjoyed my whole pint. these guys should get more love than they do from the locals...