Skip to main content

Rock Art Brewery Midnight Madness Smoked Porter

Thanks for coming by!  I know it's already Tuesday, but hopefully you all had a great weekend!  On Saturday I finally brought out my brew kettle, glass carboy and ale pails and made a homebrew.  An American IPA extract recipe from Keystone Homebrew Supply in Montgomeryville, PA jumped out at me, so I picked it up!  Some other items I bought while at the homebrew supply was more StarSan (a great, no rinse sanitizer), a big funnel to easily pour my wort from the brew kettle into my glass carboy, and some 1 step no rinse cleanser to clean all of my equipment.  The brewday went really smooth, and I can't wait to see how it comes out!
Rock Art Brewery, Beer, Craft Beer, Smoked Porter, Midnight Madness, dark beer, beer review
Tonight I am drinking Midnight Madness Smoked Porter, another beer from Rock Art Brewery in Morrisville, VT.  I haven't had too many smoked porters.  One I can remember having is Stone Smoked Porter, which I definitely enjoyed!  Let's see how this one stacks up!

Midnight Madness Smoked Porter
Smoked Beer
No ABV given, I estimate it to be between 5-6% 
Rock Art Brewery, Beer, Craft Beer, Smoked Porter, Midnight Madness, dark beer, beer review
Pours a very dark red, just about black.  There is a small, off-white head which recedes pretty quickly, and doesn't leave much lacing.  The biggest aromas I can find in this beer are roasted malt, coffee and smoke (of course).  The flavors in Midnight Madness are very similar to the aromas.  Smoke, coffee, chocolate and roasted malt dominate the palate.  The beer is a bit thin, which aids in it's drinkability.  I also found that this beer had a higher than average carbonation.  

Overall:  This was a pretty tasty brew.  Not going to blow you away (unless you don't like smokey beers), but a good beer to relax and sit back with.

What do you think of this beer?  How about smoked porters in general?  Let me know in the comments!

As always, find me on Facebook, Twitter and Google+!
Labels:

Comments

  1. Allen HuertaJanuary 22, 2013 at 9:31 PM

    Congratulations with the venture into homebrewing! I have been doing all grain over 3 years now and I love it. You will finally get to dictate how you think it should all be.

    Anyway, I have only had a couple of smoked porters. At first I didn't care for them but recently have been enjoying them more. I don't really shop for styles but over the holidays this has been one I seeked, kind of anyway.

    I will have to check this one out if I find it. I know you said it wouldn't blow me away but I'm interested to see the variations and level of smokiness. And I need to buy more beers just to enjoy. For some reason I only have rare and high abv beers. I need to work on that.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJanuary 22, 2013 at 9:42 PM

      Thanks! I've brewed probably 5 or 6 times actually, but over the course of 3+ years, so I don't get around to it much, although I'd like to change that!

      I haven't had many smoked porters either. I had Stone's Smoked Porter a few years ago, and didn't find it too smokey, but I'd like to try that one again.

      I have Victory's Otto waiting for me to drink it, but I think it is considered a Smoked Dubbel, if I remember correctly. Be sure to write about any smoked porters you get on your blog!

      Delete
    2. Allen HuertaJanuary 23, 2013 at 11:20 AM

      The one from Stone I would say is pretty good. I had it and the two variations not too long ago. If you find them, you should check them out. Smoked Porter with Vanilla, and Chipotle.

      Delete
    3. UnknownJanuary 23, 2013 at 1:15 PM

      Will do!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BJCP: Strong Scotch Ale (9E)

This is the first article in a new series of posts, where I will periodically choose a section from the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines , write about the style, and then drink and publish my tasting notes from some of the commercial examples given by the BJCP.  Now, I'm not sure if I will ever actually take the exam to become a beer judge, but I think this will be a fun exercise to learn more about beer! Fair warning, I will not be doing the sections of the BJCP style guidelines in any sort of order.  Whichever kinds of beer I am craving is what I will be writing about! Strong Scotch Ales (also known as Wee Heavy) comprise sub-category 9E in the BJCP style guidelines.  They range between 6.5% and 10.0% ABV, and have a light copper to dark brown appearance.  Obviously, strong scotch ales are all about showcasing the malt.  While studying this style, I found it quite interesting that the brewers ferment out the wort at cooler temp...
15 comments
Read more

The Six-Pack Project: New Jersey

Welcome to the Six-Pack Project!  The idea of the project is to create a six-pack of beer that would best represent the current beer scene in your respective state.  For me, that is obviously New Jersey.  The Six-Pack Project was created by Bryan over at the This Is Why I'm Drunk blog.  Check out his introduction to the project here ! 10 years ago, beer probably wasn't the first thing that came to your mind when you were thinking about New Jersey.  However, times are changing, and it's an exciting time to be a beer drinker in the Garden State.  Every year, more and more bars are starting to serve a greater variety in beer.  Even more importantly, new breweries haven been opening in NJ each year, and lots more are in planning Today, there is a wide variety of beer brewed here in New Jersey.  Choosing six beers to best represent the state was no easy feat, but I was up for it!  Hopefully, the following will clue yo...
13 comments
Read more

Beer Digest IV: Weyerbacher Viridis Lupulus and Round Guys Fat Bob XVII

Hey all, thanks for stopping in to this week's Beer Digest.  This is the fourth installment, and I am highlighting two beers from two different Pennsylvania breweries, Weyerbacher and Round Guys Brewing.  Before I get into the beers, I want to thank Josh from Short on Beer for including me in his video series, "Conversations with Beer Bloggers."  Check out our conversation , where we talk about how I got into craft beer and beer blogging! Weyerbacher Brewing Viridis Lupulus IPA 7.5% ABV, 95 IBUs The team over at Weyerbacher Brewing have come up with a new seasonal beer, Viridis Lupulus, and it is an IPA.  They plan on releasing Viridis Lupulus in late spring or early summer, and will feature a different lineup of hops for each release.  According to Wiktionary , viridis comes from the Latin verb vireo , which translates to "to be verdant, to sprout."   Lupulus comes from Humulus lupulus , and is the species name for the common hop.  So...
4 comments
Read more