Hummingbird Porter
Monnik Beer Co.

Dainty, fragil, finesse and delicate are certainly not the terms that come to mind when thinking about the darker and richer porter beer styles. But when putting together a British styled porter, the brewers of Monnik looks to the hummingbird for inspiration, probably more so in naming than in recipe formulation.

Very dark brown but certainly not confused with stout, Hummingbird Porter floats a medium dense lightly tanned foam. Reducing to a coffee-like creme, the beer unfolds with bold scents of coffee, cocoa, roasted nuttiness and deeply caramelized grains and sugars. And its those sugars that give the beer an equally robust coating of sweetness on the early palate.

As the dark elixir washes the middle palate, a bold French roast coffee brings a bittersweet chocolate, latte taste along with the earthiness of chicory, roasted pecans and a broad and balancing woodsiness that comes from the hop front. A mild stone fruit presence takes the shape of fig and date which eludes to the beer's more British influence.

Medium full and malty dry throughout, the beer tightens is earthy and toasty grip as its sweetness slowly fades. Shying away from the roasted intensity of stout, this porter is certainly more stern than brown ale as the dark beer extends into a medium long finish of toast and kahlua.