Wolaver's Alta Gracia Coffee Porter -- Otter Creek Brewing (Middlebury, VT)
Heavy duty brew from the Wolaver's Organic side of Otter Creek Brewing. Coffee beans used in the brewing process are sourced from the Alta Gracia farm community in the Dominican Republic.
Characteristics: Dark blackish-brown color, nearly opaque; low carbonation and minimal head; thick body that's almost syrupy at times; fairly consistent mix of coffee and chocolate malt flavors, with coffee and slight hoppiness coming out in the finish and vanilla emerging as the beer warms up.
Minor Gripes: None. Amazingly, the beer is consistent across all temperatures.
Bottom Line: This beer is awfully close to the platonic ideal of a coffee stout/porter(*). If you like your iced coffee to be black and thick, this could be your next favorite beer.
Rating: 8 / 10
(*) I realize Wikipedia isn't exactly an authoritative source, but this article does seem relevant... the commentary on oatmeal stouts is particularly tough (if helpful from a "truth in advertising" perspective).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout
That said, I will continue to distinguish based on what titles the brewer uses, and by overall heaviness/style when in doubt (e.g. nobody's calling Guinness or Beamish a "porter" any time soon).
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