Were any graham crackers harmed in the production of Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Porter? I’m sure I don’t know. This is a canned porter that isn’t sold in my area, but that I was fortunate enough to sample thanks to the good graces of our own Dale Roberts. The top of the can admonishes the drinker to “Enjoy this campfire in a can”, but there is no mention as to what it’s made with. They also ask you to pair it with “Tents & S’Mores”, and I think they’re really out to set up that fireside feeling, wouldn’t you say?
I love trying new beers from new breweries like Denver Beer (they’re new to me anyway). It’s a great sign for American craft brewing that try as one might, it’s nigh impossible to keep up with all the breweries popping up all over the country. At the very least, it would be a full time job to do so. Having friends around the country with whom you can trade local beers, though, is one way to at least take a stab at it.
Denver Beer is rather circumspect about Graham Cracker Porter, only saying this about the beer on their website:
Like a campfire in a glass, this robust beauty has seductive notes of vanilla, smoked cedar, and mulling spices. A dark pour with mild lacing, she is a rollercoaster of lush chocolate diving into a semi-dry finish of roasted malt and biscuit.
Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Porter has an alcohol content of 5.6% by volume. It won a Bronze Medal in the Specialty Beer Category at the Great American Beer Festival in 2011.
Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Porter pours to a dark brownish black color with a thick, tightly packed head of tiny bubbles and an inviting dark malty nose laced with hints of vanilla. Taking a sip, I get some chocolate up front with more of the vanilla notes the nose promised and a slightly smoky, quite roasty overall impression. The beer becomes subtly phenolic in the finish with good roasty bitterness but remains smooth and very drinkable.
I don't really get the graham cracker connection but to be sure, this is very delicious. More a vanilla porter than a graham cracker one, but you could imagine the vanilla as marshmallows working with the smoke (from the campfire in my mind’s palate) and chocolate to get you close to the taste of a S’More.
Would S’More Porter have been a better name? Maybe. I know I’d drink S’More if I had any……
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft