By Jonathan McNamara
Last week's look at seasonal brews introduce us to a selection of ales and lagers that hinted (and in some cases hit you upside the face) with seasonal flavors. But there was one type of beer decidedly lacking from our selection: the porter.
Every year Four Peaks introduces its Pumpkin Porter shortly before Halloween to give would-be seasonal beer drinkers with a taste for stronger stuff a chance to get their yearly fill.
How does a darker seasonal stack up?
Tastes: Full-bodied. You can really appreciate the darker malts as you sip this brew. I am grateful that the pumpkin taste exentuates the brew rather than dominating the flavor.
I Had Mine: While watching the Phillies beat the crap out of the Rays last night at Four Peaks. As a side note I'm going to postulate that sports and bars go together because its much easier to drown your sorrow over your team's loss when the tap is only a few inches away.
Goes with: something light. There is some contraversy over whether making a difference between "porter" and "stout" is really necessary. Even if you take them as different styles of beer, you must admit that both are rather heavy. Like Guinness, I could not see myself drinking many of them in a go. And as for food, it would just get in the way of drinking more beer.
Verdict: The novelty of a beer that exists only for a brief part of the year can not be ignored. If you're a fan of porters (and you should be because they are awesome) do yourself a favor and try this one.
