This Tuesday’s Bierkraft tasting was right up my alley with a selection of dark ales. While the majority of the beers were stouts, there was a wide range in flavors among the group. Here’s the lineup:

St. Peter’s, Cream Ale (UK)
Sinebyrchoff, Porter (Finland)
Two Brothers, Northwind Imperial Stout (IL)
Avery, The Czar (CO)
Greenport Harbor, Black IPA (NY)

One of the most interesting to me was the Sinebyrchoff Porter, which seemed to cling to the sides of my tongue with just a bit of roasted bitterness.

But the Two Brothers was my favorite. It had the nice coffee and cocoa flavors of an imperial stout without either being overwhelming.

The tasting ended with a discussion of whether a black IPA, like Greenport’s, could be considered a new style of beer. There was somewhat of a consensus that it could be considered a new style with the hop character of an IPA and the roasted background of a porter.

– Giancarlo