Coffee, Smoke and Tusks

Big Sky Cowboy Coffee Porter

Sampled: Feb. 9, 2013

Big Sky has not migrated east of the Mississippi; this bottle came from a mixed 6-pack at Houston’s excellent D and Q Beer Station. As usual, their label captures the spirit of its home state. The dark ale follows through on that promise.

Silky chocolate and roasted coffee emerge from the tawny lace. There’s a nice blend of fresh-brewed coffee and dark porter malts. Some assertive notes of Brazil nuts and almonds accompany the coffee notes. The addition of actual coffee adds a necessary punch to the porter. The finish is rich with nuts and hickory, augmented by a little smokiness, some chicory and even anise. Cowboy Coffee Porter weighs in at 30 IBUs, a little high for a porter. There’s some influence, but it’s mostly background, imparting traces of pine and earth.

Victory Otto

Sampled: Feb. 2, 2013

Victory produced a smoked abbey double, a pairing of flavors that fit all too well. The chocolate and roasted nuts of a dubbel easily accept the rich, unmistakable bouquet of a German rauchbier. Otto sprang from Victory’s brewmasters’ visit to Bamberg, last bastion of smoke beers and a nod to St. Otto, its patron saint. 

Smoked malt enriches the nose and the frothy head cannot escape. The body is strangely wine-like, with the smoked Munich and Belgian caramel malt creating notes akin to barrel aging. Whiffs of the wood and even a tiny trace of mint appear. The Belgian yeast strain imparts a nice effervescence. Some nice dark fruits emerge, mostly dates and raisins. Bottled in 2011, this 750 mL of Otto has silky texture that I believe has emerged with age. For an abbey ale of its strength, Otto goes down with surprising smoothness.

Victory boldly bridge between classic European styles. Otto feels seductive like the best of Aecht Schenkerla yet has the complexity of Belgian abbey ale. I can’t get enough of the ways in which the smoke enhances the abbey ale textures. Victory can claim victory in brewing an balanced smoked beer.

Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout 2012

Sampled: Nov. 20, 2012

Finally, Sierra Nevada joins its California craft-brew brethren with a high-octane stout. I dig the name, an unusual choice but appropriate considering the opaque black body.  But the famous tusks whales spent a lot of time in inky ocean depths, so it fits.

Roasted chocolate and lesser coffee notes rise from the brown froth. Toffee, raisins and some date appear in the body. With nice viscosity, Narwhal goes bitter late on the palate. A little bit of cream emerges, smoothing out the mild bitterness, which seems akin to chicory. Narwhal easily competes with Old Rasputin and the other big stouts. Only a few notes of black pepper on the finish betray the high alcohol content.

As a seasonal for the cold months, Narwhal has a good current between Celebration and Bigfoot. I’ve always insisted Sierra Nevada waits on certain styles to “brew it right,” like they did with Torpedo IPA. But I fear that Narwhal might have a harder time standing out in the dense imperial stout market.