Bow your heads, gents. It's once again time to pay tribute to the sweet nectar of the heavens we call "beer." Why the religious overtone? I'm reviewing a brew named for a Saint.
St. Peter's Old-Style Porter comes from "Britain's finest small brewery" situated in the St. Peter's Hall in Suffolk, U.K. What's the connection between this Christian saint and brewing beer? What if I told you St. Peter is regularly depicted holding the key to the Kingdom of Heaven? Is it starting to make sense? I'm betting this "key" is actually a recipe for beer so good it uses angel tears in the brewing process. Rock on, St. Peter.
Heavenly bodies aside, does this brew all the way from the U.K. stand up to pedestrian, American taste buds?
Tastes: fickle. At the outset of the drinking experience, I found St. Peter's Porter to have a sour-sweet taste akin to the finest cultured products available from the good people at Dannon Yogurt. This might be attributed to the brew being served at a colder than recommended temperature. Not ten minutes later, I was exclaiming the virtues of this brew to the heavens above as it began to warm up and the chocolately, malt taste surfaced. Yet they say life is short and so (it would seem) is the lifespan of this heavenly flavor. I attempted to drink the pint at a leisurely pace and received my final reward in the form of a nondescript brown taste toward the end of the bottle.
I got mine: at Lost Leaf for about $7 a bottle. They also have a St. Peter's Stout available if you're interested.
Goes with: a locale that is probably not Arizona. I can't help but hope and pray that this beer lost something in the kilometers it took to get to Lost Leaf from Suffolk. Perhaps the climate is adversely tarnishing what would otherwise be a brew fit for the cup of kings.
Verdict: If Jesus Christ could have turned water into beer, I'm guessing he would not have turned it into this beer. Honestly though, I wouldn't be surprised if enjoying a bottle of the porter wouldn't be a holy experience at its place of origin. If you're an expatriate used to GMT, pick it up for the nostalgia but be prepared to find it a bit off. If you're of the American persuasion, save a few quid and take a trip to Suffolk if you're set on giving this porter a try.
Happy drinking!
