Foothills Brewing People's Porter

Foothills Brewing People's Porter Barrel Aged Porter

This one weighs in at 5.8% ABV according to the website; it says 6% on the bottle.  They list a relatively high 42 IBU.  Foothills describes this one as having complex chocolate, caramel, and toffee notes with added vanilla from the bourbon barrel aging.  The beer forms a substantial and persistent head on pouring.  Much more than I normally expect from a porter.  They say the hops flavors will come first and coffee notes will be on the finish.  The bourbon is noticeable early on the nose especially the vanilla.  The smoked malts also add a nice aroma to this brew.  It is possible to smell some of the earthy notes of the hops but they are faint.  As with most bourbon aged beers the bourbon character is present at first taste.  There is also a distinct amount of hops in this one which isn't always present in a porter.  The finish is definitely all from the malts.  A light sweetness accompanies the toasted malts.  Foothills describes it as a espresso flavors but it tasted more like toasted bourbon to me.  The waves of flavor in this beer are what set it apart from other porters.  Finishing with the more traditional toasted malt flavors with the chocolate and coffee undertones give the beer a suprising characteristic that really makes this a nice beer to drink.  The hops is a very nice touch in this beer.  The toasted malts are subtle.  The bourbon flavor is understated but definitely present.  The sweetness late in the finish make it easy to take that next drink.  At first I didn't want to recommend this beer for everyone as I suspected that the high IBU, bourbon barrel aging, and complex flavors would make it somewhat unaccessable but it all seems to work well together.  While a die-hard American Lager drinker might not like this one the rest of us can certainly appreciate this one.