Habanero Smoked Porter
Country Boy Brewing

Not ones to chase the masses or to excercise much finesse on the palate, the Country Boy pepper porter series steps away from the jalapeno and favors the recent harvest of habanero. The bright orange pepper carries greater spice, zip and citrus to go along with soft pulp and vegetal sweetness.

Aside from the bright orange vegetable, the beer fits the Porter bill with a dark and muddy brown hue. The beer delivers a short tan creme that allows its pepper additions to sacrifice its froth. Chocolate and coffee resonate first, but the chili pepper charges in with a bright and sweat-inducing tingle of the nose. Sweet and caramelly on the early palate, a nutty, chocolatey, toasty and coffee-like earthiness sets a malty tone.

The perfect malty-sweet base of porter offers just enough reprieve from the growing spice that begins on the middle palate and continues to charge in late. Citrus zest, peppercorn and chipotle gradually begins to exceed its bounaries and burn the mouth with its brazen head- stopping just before the heat would prove too much for most hot-food fans. Light bitterness comes along with the spice while chocolate, toast and coffee continue to take an edge of off the fruity vegetation even late.

Rich, medium-full and weightily, the beer's low carbonation allows for a full appreciation of both porter soothing and peppery prickle- leading to a moderate numbing effect on the finish. Creamy but somewhat flat, the pepper intensity easily distracts from the host beer's shortcomings.