Beer of the Weekend #222: Cowboy Coffee Porter

My tournament bracket is fucked. I just thought I would mention that.

After the hiatus for NOLA, BotW has returned. My first brew back is Cowboy Coffee Porter, brewed by the Big Sky Brewing Company of Missoula, Montana.


The only reason I bought CCP was because it is a “limited release.” How limited? Your guess is as good as mine, but I am willing to bet Dirty John’s received one order and will get no more. Though John’s stocks Big Sky stuff, I have not seen it as much as I did at the BevMo! on Beach. I guess it’s a western thang, so I need to snatch up any Big Sky limited release when I see it.

Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. “051111” is printed on the neck, so I will assume that is a “best by” date.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is an opaque black; no light passed through when I held it to a lamp. Two fingers of thick, tan head developed and dissipated slowly to leave trails along the glass, a billowy lacing, and a ring around the edge.

Smell: Coffee porter, eh? It smells more chocolaty than anything else. Though there is a nice espresso presence, it is slightly overpowered by cocoa/dark chocolate. There is a little caramel, too, and maybe some molasses.

Taste: Ah…there’s the coffee. Though the smell was a balance, the taste leans to the coffee malts, which are a touch roasted. The chocolate from the smell plays a supporting role, as well as caramel, molasses, and a little black licorice. The mouthfeel is not as thick as I prefer with such dark beer.

Drinkability: Not a bad brew. The flavor and aroma are very pronounced and ring true to the namesake. Though not spectacular, it is damn good.

Fun facts about CCP:

-Style: Big Sky calls it a Porter, and BA classifies it as an American Porter.

-Price: $8.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 6.2 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: After Wednesday’s beer dinner at the Red Avocado, I no longer think pairing lists are useless. BA suggests barbecue, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), chocolate, beef, smoked meat, and grilled meat.

-Color: 30 SRM, which Big Sky calls “Midnight Black.” In Mosher’s
Tasting Beer, 30 SRM corresponds to “deep brown.” Diss. Personally, I think it looks much darker than “deep brown.”

-Here’s some verbage from Big Sky’s website:

Big Sky Brewing’s Cowboy Coffee Porter has it; roast malt flavors, a crisp hoppy edge, and infused coffee flavor. This limited release seasonal is only around for a short time, so strike while the iron’s hot.

Yee fuckin’ haw.

-I am happy to see Big Sky still printing words and phrases on the underside of its bottle caps. I have kept the cap from my first bottle of Moose Drool on my iMac base for years; it reads, “Freebird!” My first cap for CCP, however, will be going in the trash. It reads, “Big Hole Cologne.” It is an obvious reference to Montana’s Big Hole Basin, but I am unsure what it’s cologne smells like. Buffalo shit?


The Quiet Man’s grade: B.

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