Port Brewing - Shark Attack Double Red Ale

So I know I'm a couple days late, but how awesome is Shark Week? Well, the answer is simple. It's fucking AWESOME!!

I meant to get a review of this up last week but I just got a bit too busy. So tonight I'm drinking a beer with Shark, and what we all hope to see during Shark Week, an attack. That's right, I'm drinking Shark Attack by Port Brewing Company in San Marcos, CA. This is a 9% Double Red Ale. So, I guess it's an Imperial Red ale, probably bordering on red IPA.

So let's cut to the chase and see how the Shark Attack tastes. Let's see if it really is worthy of being considered for Shark Week!

The Shark Attack pours out a really dark ruby red, mahogany color. There was a really fluffy egg shell colored head, about 2 fingers, maybe bordering on 3 fingers worth. The head didn't stick around very long and really didn't leave much lacing behind. There's a decent amount of carbonation coming up off the bottom of the glass. Shark Attack is pretty see through but there's a decent amount of haze on this one. This looks like a really nice Red Ale. Let's get the nose on the Shark Attack.

LOTS of malt character here. Quite a bit of caramel and maybe even some burnt sugar. There's a ton of hop bitterness here as well. Lots of earthy notes, and some floral qualities shining through. I'm getting some dark fruits also. A bit of dark raisin and even some date/fig like characters. Some nice grapefruit as it warms a bit. But honestly, this is a big, malty red ale. Double Red Ale definitely describes this beer well. I'm ready to see if this one has the bite it claims.

First thing I pick up is a lot of caramel malt. Very sweet. That's immediately followed up by a floral, earthy, grassy character. Very bitter. Sides of the palate there's more caramel sweetness paired up nicely with the bitter grapefruit I found on the nose. There's some sugary, bread-like characters coming through. This is very sticky. There's some syrupy, maybe peachy qualities. Unfortunately, not much of that raisin/date character. Not a ton going on. This is incredibly malty. Very, very sticky.

So overall, this is decent at best. It's genuinely a malt bomb. There's good bitterness as well but it's so overpowered by the sheer force of the malts here. This is honestly a syrupy mess. I'd say if you see this and it's cheap, check it out. Otherwise, probably worth avoiding. I've had this on draft before and it was much better (as most beers generally are) but from the bottle, it's a letdown. Not really worthy of Shark Week.

Rating: B-

Port Brewing - Board Meeting Brown Ale

Hey gang. I know, Sundays are brutal. In fact, they tend to suck. You're thinking about work which is no doubt going to suck in the morning. It's another 5 days until the weekend which means 5 days of bullshit and pretending to give a damn.

I usually feel your pain. But hey, I'm off until Wednesday so I get to have a bit of fun tonight. I figure, why not drink something new and post a blog for some fun? It's a win win for all of us!

Tonight I'm drinking the latest bottle release from Port Brewing. I'm drinking Board Meeting Brown Ale.This is the newest addition to the year round lineup Port Brewing/Lost Abbey offers. The first addition to their year round lineup in 2 years.

This is an 8.5% abv Imperial Brown Ale that is brewed with coffee and cocoa nibs. The bottle says Brown Ale but their site says Imperial. I don't know either way. It sounds good and I'm ready to give this a go.

Board Meeting pours out pitch black with no light coming through whatsoever. There is a foamy 3 fingers of a khaki head that is sticking around for quite a bit. I'll be honest, this looks like a lot like a porter or even a lighter stout. As the head makes it's exit we're left with a very sticky lacing. This beer looks delicious and definitely different than most brown ales I've had in the past.

The nose on this beer is fantastic. BIG coffee notes. Coffee dominates the nose for sure. I'm getting a bit of milk chocolate coming through too. Actually smells a bit like chocolate syrup. Very sweet and rich. There's a subtle hint of alcohol coming out as well. But again, as soon as you smell that, you're smacked in the nose by coffee. It wants you to know it's there and it's definitely lingering.

I'm hoping the taste of this beer follows the nose and I'm very happy to say it does. Big coffee once again comes in and hits you instantly. It tastes dark and bitter. Definitely eye opening. Middle of the tongue you get those coca nibs coming in to clean up the mess the coffee left at the front end. It's sweet and creamy. Very enjoyable. Back of the tongue/mouth, you get more cocoa and more coffee although it's much more of a burnt coffee to a burnt espresso taste. Very earthy but not in a bad way at all. You DO taste a bit of alcohol on this one. It's not bad but it's there for sure.

Overall, I think this is a pretty solid beer from Port Brewing. I'm not the biggest fan of their lineup but I definitely am enjoying this one. That being said, I wish this was a little smoother and balanced. The coffee is so dominant that while I did find the cocoa, it was very much hidden by the coffee. I wish the alcohol had been a bit more hidden on the back end. I'd like to try this on tap to see how it compares, maybe even see how this tastes with a little bit of age on it. Nothing crazy but maybe a couple of months would balance it a bit more.

Rating: B bordering on B+

Wife didn't hate it. But it tasted like beer. In fact, she said it tastes like coffee and crappy beer. With a "WHY WOULD YOU RUIN COFFEE LIKE THAT?!?!" thrown in for good measure. I don't think she hated it....