Years ago my husband and I started a very personal relationship with beer- we began to brew at home. As all good home-brewers know, it’s required by law that one drinks while brewing. (This honors the beer god Brewlius and almost guarantees a great batch.) Sadly, as with many good things, time created a couple of monsters out of us. Now we find ourselves fascinated by brew regardless of brewday.

Due to our affliction for which we know of no cure, I have decided to raise it to an artistic level because everyone knows that once it’s “art”, it’s ok. As a matter of fact, it usually catches on and is deemed socially acceptable and glorious. Admittedly my beer knowledge comes from great discussions with smart people, reading books and articles, and a pure excitement for the stuff, so please take this “with a grain” and hopefully my words will add to your adventure with beer.

Behold the Sunday Beer Blog.

Beer Name: I’ll Have Another

Beer Style: Coffee Stout

Brewer: Midnight Sun

Alcohol Content: 7.1

Purchased From: La Bodega

My husband, Derek, was kind enough to fill a growler of this for me on the way home from plotting with our two daughters. (My birthday is on Wednesday, and they are loving torturing me with a lack of information.) This recipe was agreed upon between four breweries (Midnight Sun, Haines, Denali, & Kenai) and then brewed separately. The water, equipment, and brew habits all differed. The goal was to see if the beer varied between breweries even though the recipe was identical.

I decided to taste it right away and poured the rich dark brew into my snifter. The smell was amazing. If you’re a coffee lover, your response is “oh yeah.” If you’re not, your response is “that burned my nose!” I know because that was me and my husband respectively. The first sip was much smoother than expected with a nice dark roast aftertaste. The mouth-feel is luscious and the mid-tongue flavor is very chocolaty. For a stout, it isn’t chewy and I like that. On a random note, Derek was eating smoked salmon and said the two paired well.

I would never drink before 5 PM…but this could be a great “breakfast beer”. Not that I’d know because I don’t drink before 5…

Happy Brewing and Sipping!

-Traci