Thor's Smoked Hot Pepper Imperial Porter
HammerHeart Brewing Company

So, a smoked Imperial porter with hot peppers!

Impenetrable black, even with a back-light, topped by a dark tan/brown head that grows deceptively. The head starts out almost coke-like it, fizzy and bubbly, and indicating it will be short and short-lived. This deceived me into going to a vigorous pour. I stopped with the head well short of the top of my glass as I saw the character of the head changing, but not soon enough. The resulting head is nothing like it started out to be. It continued to build until it overflowed the glass. It is thick, creamy, tall, and lasts forever. It leaves a very thick wall of "lacing" as it does recede. This does become very attractive, less wall and more lace, as I drink.

The aroma is, as I expected from HammerHeart, smoky; campfire smoke. Roasted malts. Not getting any of the promised pepper.

Ah, there's the pepper, as I take my first sip. It starts out with a hint of pepper initially, but this grows and grows through the middle and into the finish. The aftertaste is spicy hot. While the spice does become front and center, it is never completely obscures the smoky flavor and the roasted porter malts, as they are hardly shrinking violets either. All the flavors are complementary of each other. This is an very well done beer.

But make no mistake: as it is using Dragons's Breath, Brown Moruga Scorpion, and Carolina Reaper peppers it is spicy hot, with the warmth lingering in my mouth for minutes like a very spicy dish. It is, as the beer name says, an "Imperial Hot Pepper Porter". While this spiciness is handled with skill, it most definitely tips well to the hot side so I can't actually be call it balanced. But, the spice is always accompanied by smoke and roast.

The mouth feel is thick for a porter (that is, on the thick side of substantial, but not viscous like some Imperial stouts). The feel would be smooth and creamy, except it has quite a edge from the hot pepper.

Overall, impressive and well-done. I have not in the past taken to the sound of pepper beers. I can, however, appreciate that this beer achieves its apparent goals. The mix of the hot peppers, the smoke, and the roasted malts is truly enjoyable.

Pours a thick black color with a tan head. Snell has campfire smoke vanilla roasted malts. Taste has char smoke ,bark chocolate , smoked malts vanilla ,peppers and cocoa. Mouth feel has pepper heat ,cocoa roasted malt char ,pepper and vanilla , strong ABV that is hidden,

 

L: Pours opaque dark brown to black under a dense 3" light brown cap with a very fine bead and phenomenal retention

S: Definite chocolate and grain, light roast, some pepper heat, some pepper vegetable aromas, mild to low smoke, low hop aromas and moderate alcohol

T: Mildly sweet chocolate, dark chocolate bitterness, coffee, and a rich chocolate finish. Getting chocolate from both the malt and the added chocolate. The pepper heat is there and starts low but it grows a little with each drink. Low smoke flavors provide an interesting accent.

F: Very creamy, full body, moderate heat that grows on you

O: This is an exceptionally well composed beer that is a delight to drink - the pepper, chocolate, smoke and porter flavors all work together very well.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from 750ml bottle into glass. Label is marked with bottling date of 'Aug. 2017'.
Opaque, black colored body. Mocha tan one finger head settles to cap and ring. Has a few spots of lacing.
Aroma is dark roasted malts and dark chocolate, with whiffs of smoke and very slight pepper.
Taste is slightly sweet dark roast, with the addition of dark chocolate, and a little smoke and a little felt hot pepper on the tongue. Slight bitterness similar to a strong espresso coffee.
Mouth feel is thick and creamy. Mouth coating.
A very tasty imperial porter, with creamy mouth feel and a touch of pepper heat. It's almost like there is a hint of smoky peat at the end of the taste profile.

 

Zero pepper.

L- thick and viscous

S - dark chocolate, metallic, roasty, and peppery.

T - complex. Tons of bakers chocolate, very, very reminiscent of storm king stout. Mocha, faint pepper, very faint smoke. Again metallic.

F - pretty full and creamy. Very dry.

Overall - A little let down. As a smoked beer fanatic I was expecting more. This is storm king stout with maybe a few extra touches of pepper and smoke.

Sweet Jebus what a beer! Aroma is rich smoke and chocolate, hint of spice. Big dense almost black head. Thick and viscous on the palate. The pepper is more in line with a Mexican stout. Very subtle and appears on the back end, lingering but never overpowering. Not much needs to be said other than if you can find this beer, get it.

 

 

if i was going to trust one brewery in the country to make a smoked pepper porter, it would probably be these guys, so even though its not a style that moves me much generally speaking, i had to get in on this. its just black, really dense looking, with a head almost as dark, thick and lasting on top. it smells heavily smoked, rauch type, really campfire, ashy, woody, intense, slow roasted kind of thing. the pepper is subtle in the nose, not sure which kind they used, it has a touch of that ancho sort of warmth, nothing hotter than that i wouldnt think. deep notes of dark chocolate and espresso beans rise up, pretty intense low end here. the flavor is great, but quite different from the nose. the pepper is a lot more forward, leaving some dry heat on the back of the throat and adding a nice layer like it might in one of those chili chocolate bars. there is a lot of bakers cocoa here, roast, and heavy smoke again. which smoked malt did they use i wonder? its more intense than i am used to. it almost needs the alcohol warmth too to round it out, its a mellowing element in this case believe it or not. not boozy, but heat on heat actually makes sense. long long bitter dry finish, nice job not sweetening this up at all. one of the most boldly flavored beers ive ever had really, i have nothing but love for hammerheart!

edit: this must vary some batch to batch, as i had it at the brewery recently and the pepper was incredibly mellow, way different and less impactful than the first time i had this beer. overall i like it just as well, but i suppose the heat of the peppers must fluctuate...

 

Appearance: Black, huge head.

Smell: Chocolate and campfire smoke.

Taste: Big chocolate flavor, moderate sweetness, then finishes with hot pepper that lasts a while.

Overall: Thor's Porter is one of the few pepper/chile/hot beers that I enjoy, and I enjoy it quite a bit. The big chocolate flavor hits the spot and the hotness stays in the background (but is definitely noticeable)!

750 ml mini growler from the brewery. Poured into a Hammerheart tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours midnight black with a moderate amount of bubbles. Slight finger of tan head that settles into a thin creamy layer.

Smell: A roasty and fairly spicy dark malt driven aroma with a scent of chocolate, coffee, smoke, and peppers. Dark roasted barley malt with a scent of dark chocolate, coffee, smoke, toast, biscuit, and caramel with some yeast. Hints of chili peppers. Sweet hints of molasses and cream. A pretty nice aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, a roasty and spicy dark malt driven taste with notes of chocolate, coffee, smoke, and peppers. Dark roasted barley malt with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, smoke, biscuit, toast, and caramel along with some yeast. Mildly hot presence of chili peppers. Some sweet notes of molasses, vanilla, and cream. A very good roasty taste.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, slick, and pretty smooth for 11% with minimal alcohol heat.

Overall: A very good Imperial Smoked Porter. Good roasty malt notes with a nice touch of smoke and peppers.

Tried and true porter flavors are easy to come by, but HammerHeart drops the hammer with one that's of imperial strength, stature and power, and carries a healthy heaping dose of capsaicin that's worthy of the Thor moniker.

Pouring the expected dark brown and shadowy browns with opaque density and accessorized with a sturdy foam cap, the dark imperial ale is shy of black, but burley nonetheless. Aromas are deep and saturating with toasted malt that layers coffee, chocolate, cream and caramel with an earthy nut and pepper balance. Its first sip is sweet with mocha milkshake, caramel and toffee. No obvious hints of the heat underneath, at least not yet.

Toasty, roasty and coffee-like the beer's earth takes hold as the sweetness begins to subside and the bittersweet chocolate, walnut and chicory character weaves into the mix. Bark-like bitterness is broad and reinforces the coffee-like trend as the dark ale balances out. Final flavors leave impressions of burnt marshmallow and burnt cream with a bitter coffee finish.

Alas, the capsaicin prickling spice rises to balance the porter as much as do the hops. Full in body, its creamy roast both supports the spice and complements it with its own peppery char. Finishing malty-dry and warming on the throat, the dark ale resonates with coffee and peppercorn in long savory aftertaste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flavor comes at you with a strong coffee front, with a bit of roast and bean. It's a touch spicy throughout the middle with some chocolate malt, marshmallow and charred ember. It finishes with a peppery habenero and light heat. Very enjoyable with a ton of character.

 

 

 

 

 

Really big and ominous looking beer here. Love the deep khaki head. The subtle smoke and heat of the peppers play off the roast and chocolate notes of the base beer nicely.

Very enjoyable.