It's #FloridaBeerFriday. Every Friday, we take a look at a beer brewed in the Sunshine State, giving analysis to the burgeoning craft beer movement of Florida.
This week, we're taking a look at another in the Brew Bus lineup of cans that are popping up around area retail stores, Double Decker English Style Porter.
See also: Florida Beer: Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout From Rapp Brewing Co.
This is, as the name suggests, an interpretation of the English way of doing porters. Beers like Fuller's London Porter, Samuel Smith Taddy Porter, and Harvey's Tom Paine Original Old Porter are usual examples of this style. It falls in contrast to the usually more sweeter, smokier, and generally more extreme American styles of porter.
Double Decker is brewed with East Kent Goldings (one of my favorite hops to use in homebrewing) and German Magnum hops, keeping everything squarely in the European camp. It's not even very bitter with a 34 IBU rating, and a lot of that English quality surely comes from a generous usage of EKG.
The beer pours a super dark brown with a tall and foamy tan head that dissipates slowly. It gives off aromas of brown sugar and mild smoke, with almost a bit of tobacco. The taste is a mix of smokiness, nuts, and toffee... but it's not in any way very sweet. The mild acridity (which is a good hallmark of this style) shines out more than any chocolate flavors which many American porters indulge in.
At 6.5% abv, it's a bit high for an English porter, but the added alcohol gives the beer a more rounded mouthfeel.
Overall, it's a personally enjoyable porter that speaks to the European style; a bit of a nod to the 'good ol' days' of brewing. Now, where did I put by Doctor Who DVDs...
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Doug Fairall is a craft beer blogger who focuses on Florida beers and has been a homebrewer since 2010. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow him @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Instagram.
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