mwedge
09-24-2009, 10:44 PM
http://www.beeraday.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/highland-oatmeal-porter2.jpgJust three more beers remain in my North Carolina Beer Week sponsored by reader Kevin (http://twitter.com/zy1125), whose selections for today and tomorrow include two dark beers from Highland Brewing Company (http://www.highlandbrewing.com) in Asheville.
The Highland motto is “just a wee bit different”, and this beer’s name is a nice example. Though oatmeal stouts abound on the beer market, I’ve never come across an oatmeal porter before. The name conjures to mind a creamy, smokey, sweetly-roasted ale — but I’m ready to stop imagining and start tasting.
I poured the Oatmeal Porter into a standard pint glass, and even before the 12 oz bottle was half-empty, the energetic head nearly overflowed. That huge, creamy head crowned the top of this dark beer like a beige pillow. The foam was determined to stick around and laced the glass heavily as I drank.
http://www.beeraday.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/highland-oatmeal-porter3.jpgThough the foam was effusive, the aroma was restrained. Highland Oatmeal Porter reluctantly released a roasted malt aroma. The scent was delicate, with hints of chocolate and soft oatmeal sweetness. It’s pleasant, but it left me hoping the taste would give me something more to write about.
I’m pleased to report it did.
The Highland Oatmeal Porter is rich and bitter, yet strikingly smooth. Roasted malt and herbal hops caress the tongue as you begin to drink. The bitterness falters for a moment as the taste crests into a creamy, sweet-coffee middle — but the roasted malt returns, easing into a delicately bitter finish. These aren’t flavor extremes — the hops, roasted malt, and oatmeal sweetness oscillate through the medians of flavor. It creates a smooth but rich drinking experience that makes this beer quite a pleasure to quaff.
It’s label describes the beer as:
“A unique Highland creation, this robust beer is black in color, very malty with hints of chocolate-roasted flavor and a well balanced hop character.”
The description is brief, to the point, and accurate. I can only hope to learn from Highland’s example!
Tomorrow’s Highland brew is the Black Mocha Stout. Judging from the name alone, I’m sure the Black Mocha Stout will be as assertive as the Oatmeal Porter is restrained. Join me tomorrow to find out!
Use Social Bookmarks (http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.beeraday.net%2 Fbeer%2Fhighland-brewing-oatmeal-porter%2F&linkname=Highland%20Brewing%20Oatmeal%20Porter)Rel ated posts:
Rogue Mocha Porter (http://www.beeraday.net/beer/rogue-mocha-porter/)
Avery New World Porter (http://www.beeraday.net/beer/avery-new-world-porter/)
Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter (http://www.beeraday.net/beer/otter-creek-stovepipe-porter/)
http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hFyVkMkourVBTyKK3gjcJEx0iL0/0/di (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hFyVkMkourVBTyKK3gjcJEx0iL0/0/da)
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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BeerADay/~4/s9OL038gYHk
More... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BeerADay/~3/s9OL038gYHk/)
The Highland motto is “just a wee bit different”, and this beer’s name is a nice example. Though oatmeal stouts abound on the beer market, I’ve never come across an oatmeal porter before. The name conjures to mind a creamy, smokey, sweetly-roasted ale — but I’m ready to stop imagining and start tasting.
I poured the Oatmeal Porter into a standard pint glass, and even before the 12 oz bottle was half-empty, the energetic head nearly overflowed. That huge, creamy head crowned the top of this dark beer like a beige pillow. The foam was determined to stick around and laced the glass heavily as I drank.
http://www.beeraday.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/highland-oatmeal-porter3.jpgThough the foam was effusive, the aroma was restrained. Highland Oatmeal Porter reluctantly released a roasted malt aroma. The scent was delicate, with hints of chocolate and soft oatmeal sweetness. It’s pleasant, but it left me hoping the taste would give me something more to write about.
I’m pleased to report it did.
The Highland Oatmeal Porter is rich and bitter, yet strikingly smooth. Roasted malt and herbal hops caress the tongue as you begin to drink. The bitterness falters for a moment as the taste crests into a creamy, sweet-coffee middle — but the roasted malt returns, easing into a delicately bitter finish. These aren’t flavor extremes — the hops, roasted malt, and oatmeal sweetness oscillate through the medians of flavor. It creates a smooth but rich drinking experience that makes this beer quite a pleasure to quaff.
It’s label describes the beer as:
“A unique Highland creation, this robust beer is black in color, very malty with hints of chocolate-roasted flavor and a well balanced hop character.”
The description is brief, to the point, and accurate. I can only hope to learn from Highland’s example!
Tomorrow’s Highland brew is the Black Mocha Stout. Judging from the name alone, I’m sure the Black Mocha Stout will be as assertive as the Oatmeal Porter is restrained. Join me tomorrow to find out!
Use Social Bookmarks (http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.beeraday.net%2 Fbeer%2Fhighland-brewing-oatmeal-porter%2F&linkname=Highland%20Brewing%20Oatmeal%20Porter)Rel ated posts:
Rogue Mocha Porter (http://www.beeraday.net/beer/rogue-mocha-porter/)
Avery New World Porter (http://www.beeraday.net/beer/avery-new-world-porter/)
Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter (http://www.beeraday.net/beer/otter-creek-stovepipe-porter/)
http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hFyVkMkourVBTyKK3gjcJEx0iL0/0/di (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hFyVkMkourVBTyKK3gjcJEx0iL0/0/da)
http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hFyVkMkourVBTyKK3gjcJEx0iL0/1/di (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/hFyVkMkourVBTyKK3gjcJEx0iL0/1/da)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BeerADay/~4/s9OL038gYHk
More... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BeerADay/~3/s9OL038gYHk/)