Father’s Day! That’s always a special occasion. My kids know what I like, so they took me to Atlanta’s Little Five Points section for a pub crawl. A brewpub (The Wrecking Bar), a famous restaurant/bar (The Vortex), and a renowned beer bar (The Porter) all within a short walk from each other. With no parking available in the immediate vicinity (actually there was as we found out later), we parked about a mile away on Krog Street and walked about a mile in the warm June sun to the Wrecking Bar, our first stop.
I enjoyed a number of delicious beers here, but one of my favorites was Puff, Puff, Glass Imperial Smoked Porter. I haven't the foggiest notion where they got that name from, but here's what the Wrecking Bar says about the beer:
Brewed to drink for the colder weather as it starts to settle in. We used a blend of English Pale, Chocolate, Dark Crystal, and Black malts to create the base for this complex brew. For an additional layer of flavor, we smoked roughly 10% of the grist in our smoker with both Alderwood and Pecan wood. The finished beer has notes of chocolate, toffee, roast, and a subtle/smooth smoke character to round out the flavor profile. A touch of piney American hops to balance, this beer will certainly be one to be kept in rotation for your drinking pleasure. Cheers!
This is a formidable beer at 8% alcohol by volume and 50 IBUs. I got a 4 ounce glass for $3 but its also sold in an 8-ounce glass for $5.50. Again, I like the smaller servings you can buy at the Wrecking Bar.
My glass of Puff, Puff, Glass Imperial Smoked Porter arrived a jet black color with a thin creamy tan head and a big smoky and roasty nose with assertive roast and chocolate in the palate and a permeating, subtly phenolic smokiness. There's a hint of licorice. too, and the beer finishes roasty dry with lingering smoke.
This is simply a wonderful, wonderful beer packed with smokiness and roasty flavor. I know I'd never get tired of drinking it. Now if I could only figure out the name....
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