Well I finally did it, I opened a bottle of the new Hoppin' Frog Silk Porter. In fact I tried it two different ways, more on that latter.
Pint of porter
The smell had a nice sweetness with something i could not quite place and almost a hint of sour milk, there was also an enjoyable slight roast. The taste and body was very smooth and creamy with that same sweetness, like the smell, that had a very subtle hint of soured cream. Again like any good porter it has a slight but noticeable roast, but it was not over whelming or predominate in the flavor, just blended very well with all the other flavors. It was a complete joy to drink, and like it's name was like drinking silk.
Remainder with Kauai Coffee Beans
As I was enjoying my pint of H'F Silk Porter I let the rest of the bottle soak some Kauai coffee beans in the fridge (about 50F in case you wanted to know). As you may have expected the smell was of very strong coffee/coffee beans; kauai has a dark, but not espresso, roast that is almost like cigar tabacco. The taste was of STRONG, jus how I have it almost every morning, black coffee; this flavor lasted for a long time and then turned into a nice dark chocolate. I was completely amazed by the fact that it wasn't nearly as bitter as I expceted. I was also shocked that this mix actualy tasted better than when I fresh grind and brew these beans into coffee; though with Fred's magic I shouldn't be. I did feel that this somehow allowed me to get a more natural flavor of the bean with much less bitter than I get when I make coffee with it.
As you may have noticed I am also a huge fan on coffe, especially strong black coffee and espresso.
Really all I can close with is a HUGE thanks to Fred from Hoppin' Frog for brewing such a wonderful beer, the idea of putting one of his beers on coffee beans, and all the other amazing beers that he makes.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14879/40153
http://ratebeer.com/beer/hoppin-frog-silk-porter/82147/
digg story
2 comments:
I guess I'll cut and paste my my BA review. Just for the record I hadn't read your review prior to posting this.
BA:
Okay, first off thanks to my friend in Cleveland for the bottle. Fred from the brewery says I'll be able to pick up Hoppin' Frog in Chicago soon... I can't wait. They are making some amazing stuff. On to the review...
Appearance: Rich "coca-cola" black. Not brown, not quite true black. Nearly no head formed even with a near straight pour into my snifter.
Smell: Sweet...milky... toasty. Pleasant... Pleasing...
Taste: Okay, So my buddy in Cleveland got a suggestion from Fred to add whole coffee beans to the glass to enhance the flavor. I poured half the bottle without and half the bottle with. To be honest... Without the beans it was only mediocre. Sorry HF. Kinda sweet. Kinda malty. Kinda good. Once I added the beans it was an entirely different story. The coffee added a bitterness that excited the flavor and just blew me away. HOLY COW! After a year long love affair with the Frog I was worried. Man was I wrong.
Mouthfeel: Silky smooth. Little carbonation. Nice.
Drinkability: Well... without the beans I don't think I'd come back to this one. With the beans I could drink this one all day long. Seriously, add the beans.
As a side note to the first review... Has Fred considered making a B.O.R.I.S. bourbon barrel aged version? It would be a dream come true.
Post a Comment