Hoppin' Frog Cafe' Silk Porter

Hoppin' Frog Cafe' Silk Porter, Porter with Coffee Added, 6.2% ABV., 70 OG, 26 IBU.

What more appropriate use for the Spider-Man/Frog-Man coasters my brother Wayne made for me for my 45th birthday than a beer from Ohio's Hoppin' Frog Brewery. Nothing better to relieve those middle-age (sigh….) blues than a reminder of childhood.

Enough of that, time for an adult beverage. Porter with coffee, my two favorite adult beverages. It was a minor milestone when I switched from cold root beer for a morning pick-me-up to hot French roast coffee. Every now and then, I return to soda pop, and I reminisce of the immature years.

Anyway, on to the beer. Solid black coloring, roasty tan head, starts thick, slims down to a tight ring.

Aroma: rich dark espresso notes roar right out of the glass. Cherry and vanilla lurk just below the flavor of the bean. Cocoa tones rise up from under and it turns into a beautiful symphony of flavors. Cocoa and coffee combine and stand on top.

Taste: Straightforward boarding the palate, very even-keeled, while full-bodied, and soon dropping a payload of rich, robust and delicious coffee porter flavors. Personally, I'm glad this is not an "imperial" porter or stout, and a mere 6.2%, also happy that I'm tackling it in the afternoon, rather than after work in wee a.m., causing me to lose sleep. That's why it's been resting in the fridge for months. When I get home so early in the morning, the last thing I need is coffee, in any form. I learned that lesson long ago.

Very smooth and silky, well-balanced, bordering on the sweet side with a never-ending flavor. Very easy down the throat, utterly likable.

What do they say on the label? "Our chocolatey Silk Porter cold-infused with dark-roasted coffee beans to create the smoothest coffee character possible. (not a real sentence, there. missing a preposition, I think. But that's alright.) Fresh-roasted coffee flavors and aromas add the perfect compliment to this old-world beer style, forming a truely (sic) savory and memorable flavor experience."