BBNo - 03|02 Porter Liberty

Ok, fine, I'll start using their full names. I still think this would look a lot more badass if it was just 03|02, there'd be more mystery... In fact, this is my blog, I'll settle for some sort of self imposed middle ground, in this case it's by completely caving. Yay! 03|02 reads like a single hopped porter with impressive head but is actually Liberty/Zeus. It has light speckling and a body so dark that I recently heard a black hole remark "Oh sh*t! Now that is dark!" Upon seeing the drink being poured.

The scent is warm and all encompassing, hitting you with a massive punch of coffee and dark chocolate... Granted those are things you're always going to get with a porter but with this you at least get a whole lot of it. Before even taking a single sip I can already tell that this beer is going to be sturdy and steadfast, as comforting as an old pair of slippers and as enjoyable as seeing a sad clown quit his stupid job and do something worthwhile with his life. I don't even know that for sure but there's got to be something said for the fact that this beer can make me think that that's what's going to happen even without drinking it... Which really has to be the core point for beer even existing.

Well that's just ridiculous. That's it, I'm getting my coat and I'm going home... That was fast. Words can't really describe what a beautiful porter this is. My main beef with the breed is that they're samey and dull, they all have a little chocolate, a little coffee and sometimes they'll have a nice mouth feel too. 03|02 is like no porter I've ever had before because it is true to what a porter should be.

Ok, history lesson time, in the 18th Century the Porter became popular amongst hotel porters in London, which in itself is dull but it does explain the name. It is generally believed that the porter is the middle ground between a stout and an ale, though it is more accurate to say that it is simply a descendent of brown beer. This means that a traditional porter must contain characteristics of both an ale and a stout. 03|02 has exactly that! It has a medium mouth feel, which makes the beer more refreshing than it does rich or comforting, and that lets the hoppy bitterness mix with the malty sweetness, creating an easily sessionable, mildly complex, extremely pleasurable porter that can be had just below room temperature in winter or cold in summer. This is a real all-rounder, a credit to the name and a credit to the history.

Food Suggestion: I'd happily have this with a steak, barely cooked and bloody as a surgery floor on "national blindfold day." A glass of bitter, hoppy, sweet, darkness to go with it to make you feel like a real man. Maybe afterwards you should do some bench presses and fix a car. Manly. As. Balls.

Drink this if you like: I might go out on a limb and say this is the best Porter I've ever had. I never really got on with them before but this is a real head turner. I'd say that if you like any Porter by a high quality American brewery like Founders or Southern Tier then you'll LOVE this.