Denmark In The Desert- Imperial Peach Porter
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.

a collaboration with mikkeller, i was delighted to find this on tap at finns yesterday. a sour porter or stout type brewed with peaches, an exciting idea and quite well executed i think, although its a little more acidic than i want to drink a lot of, still, solid execution here. they must have brewed it more than once, as there is no way this is several years old, the peaches smell and taste really fresh in it, juicy, ripe, and strong enough to come through the dark roasty malts in here. i love the cocoa malt character in the middle too, usually i dont love this in sour beer, but with the fruit it adds an almost chocolate dipped note before the acidity rises up, desserty without being sweet, like decadent but in a savory way. the sourness is high, has a hint of red wine vinegar to it too, it comes on a little strong, but there is some fleshy sweetness to the peach that balances it just fine. the peach actually seems accentuated by the sourness for a second. the grain doesnt get too dark or bitter, but there is good body from it and enough depth, any more might crowd out or cover up some peach, which is the element that makes this one for me. cool collab, rad recipe, a little less acid would be nice, but i cant complain, this is original and delicious!

 

 

 

Just an utterly regrettable brew, the peaches a vanishing act, the mouthfeel excessively full, and the base porter peaking through nothing at all to write home about. This is what happens when people brew creative beer just for the sake of being creative, rather than spending some time thinking whether it will honestly work or making certain the base brew - in this case porter - is anything worth drinking.