Rummaging through the back of the beer fridge, I found another little gem: Boulevard Early Riser Coffee Porter. I’ve been drinking more than a few coffee beers lately, and I really enjoy them. Coffee and dark beers are both roasted to get their ebony hue and slightly charred flavor. I start every day with a roasty cup of coffee; I end more than a few with a dark and bitter porter or stout.

I did notice that the label was different on my bottle than the latest check-ins on Untappd. Sure enough, when I checked the date this one was a few years old. Still, my experience with coffee beers is that they tend to hold up well if properly stored. This one resided in my garage beer fridge, so the latter was not an issue.

Boulevard says on the neck label:

We start with a smooth, dark, rich and roasty porter, then add Colombian Cauco Cajibio Estate coffee supplied by our local friends at Maps Coffee Roasters to create an eye-opening marriage of our two very favorite brewed beverages.

Boulevard Early Riser Coffee Porter has an alcohol content of 5% by volume with 28 IBUs. It runs $10.99 a six-pack at Total Wine. My bottle is stamped best by 4/21/16; I drank it on April 15^th, 2018.

Boulevard Early Riser Coffee Porter pours to a jet-black color with a medium head of creamy tan foam and a senses-arousing coffee grind nose. Taking a sip, the porter is roasty malty and a little chocolaty, but the coffee steals the show. It’s robust with bold dark roast flavor, is slightly acidic with brew and grind flavor throughout. Finishes dark roasty and bitter.

This beer is excellent indeed with a few years of age, and I’ll be on the lookout to try it again fresh. I think the price is about $1 more than it should be, but that would not stop me from buying it again.  



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