Rio Arriba Porter
Raccoon River Brewing Company

Very dark brown color with a light rim of foam. The nose is really pretty safe and doesn't reveal a whole lot about the beer. The attack initially seems almost fruity. The flavor reads a little fruity for a porter as well. I can detect notes of blueberry and candy. I would actually say the candy specifically would be like "dum-dum pops." The mouthfeel is pretty smooth and there is a hint of an aftertaste that really gets covered up by the candy/fruit thoughts lodged in the brain.

Dark brown color, only some trim around the edges when held to the light. The head is of large bubbles, tanned, and leaves not much in the lace department.

The nose is fairly faint, and unfortunately strikes me as thin and watery a bit. There's some roasted malt character, and a certain yeasty mustiness.

Flavors of chocolate and a bit of roasted coffee (or as my girlfriend said, "Mm, tastes like dessert"). Beyond the superficial cocoa taste, however, I thought it went downhill. There are suggestions of bruised apple and dark fruit, but a little bit off somehow, with a sour edge that reminded me too much of rotten fruit.

The hops are a little pepper tweak to the buds, but definitely help the finish along. Pretty sticky beer, with a decent, coating mouthfeel. I would call this medium for the porter style. Carbonation is present but not stiff.

For the most part, Rio Arriba is well crafted, but the off flavors in the taste really bring down the enjoyment for me. I thought I remembered this being a little better - dirty lines? Bad batch?

Opaque mahogany with flaming crimson and gold edges. The one finger cap was the color of hot chocolate and didn't last long at all; within minutes it was down to a skimpy film on top of the beer. It was, therefore, all the more surprising that there was as much lace as there was. Nothing more than thin, broken sheets, but still more than expected given the head.

The nose was of low intensity, making it difficult to appreciate what should have been an easy style to appreciate: chocolate porter. Identifying it as a 'dark malt' beer was easy enough, but beyond that... not enough to go on. Amazingly, there was no hint of chocolate, even after considerable warming. Of course by then the beer was several inches away from my nose, so...

The brewer chose to create this chocolate porter by using cocoa nibs, something that I had never heard of before tonight. They're basically de-hulled, roasted cocoa beans that have been broken into pieces. Good choice I'd say because this beer tasted more like cocoa that any beer I've ever had. Not chocolate, not chocolate malt, but cocoa. As in powder.

Even though the cocoa intensity faded just a tad after that first amazing mouthful, Rio Arriba was still a delicious beer through and through. It reminded me of a candy bar in liquid form, more so than all but a few porters and stouts that I've had over the years. It wasn't too sweet though, spicy hops made sure of that.

It also wasn't a one-trick pony. In addition to the obvious cocoa focal point, the flavor profile contained a bruised apple fruitiness and the slightest suggestion of sour peat (not enough to bring about even a cursory comparison to a Scottish Ale however). I came to appreciate the contribution of the hops, both in terms of bitterness and flavor, as I got deeper into the pint.

I prefer medium-full bodied porters and that is exactly what I got with this beer. There was a light creaminess in the mouth and a semi-sticky, barely coating finish that was most enjoyable. A soft, cask-like carbonation was the capper on a very nice mouthfeel.

Rio Arriba Porter is currently making its inaugural run at Raccoon River Brewing Company. As far as I'm concerned, it's a successful one and I look forward to drinking my fill as it (hopefully) rotates with regularity in the future.