BEER!

I am currently hiding in a bungalow in western Florida, a long way from Escondido, California. Imagine my surprise when I entered the beer aisle at the local Whole Foods and found some of the best beer San Diego County has to offer. I am talking about Stone Brewery’s fine cadre of beers which may or may not have been directly or indirectly responsible for me almost knocking out my ex-bandmate’s teeth roughly six times during a show at the Comet in Seattle, WA.

Naturally I had to buy some more.

I just cracked a bottle of the Smoked Porter. At first blush I got a peaty, almost island single malt-y flavor without all the alcoholic bite from this So-Cal brew. The further I get along in the bottle, the peat flavor dissipates and the unground coffee bean and caramel flavors come out. Often, when trying for peat and caramel brewers will overshoot into territory which ends up being grassy or tasting like peanuts. Porters have to strike a delicate balance of being dark but not overly heavy, of having those musty, thick flavors without being a beer you have to chew. Stone has hit a nice mahogany on the outside, black hole in the center bulls-eye with this smoked porter.


Stone Breweries Smoked Porter

Enjoy with:
Barbeque
Dark Berries
A good book
The new Flying Lotus record