Thursday, December 24, 2009

On the 11th day of Christmas, Santa Beer gave to me...

a smoky porter from Chama River Brewing - El Fumador!

Remember this guy? I don't know if he ever had a name on the X-Files other than "The Smoking Man." Just remember kids that if you smoke, you'll end up looking like him, regardless if you have a Y chromosome or not. Anyway, yesterday I had a choice to make after work: Go to the gym and run 3 miles....or partake in a beer at Chama River, where it was $2.50 pint night. I just wasn't feeling the gym, so figured a beer was in order. So, upon getting there, I found the El Fumador porter to be intriguing, especially since I had stopped off at my favorite local tobacconists (Stag Tobacconists on Juan Tabo and Montgomery) for some Christmas cigars earlier...


The nice bartender brought over this pint, which looked like someone managed to bottle a cloud of black smoke, then topped it off with a creamy tan head. Take a whiff and you'll get aromas of smoke, chocolate, coffee and malt. The beer doesn't have a terribly intense smell, which is ok as the taste definitely makes up for it. You can taste the alcohol, which is mixed in with some caramel, strong coffee and bitter smokiness. That bitterness will stick around in the back of your throat, sorta like a film in your mouth. This was a good beer with a sturdy 7.0% ABV - I think the bitterness threw me off initially, but it ended up being a very enjoyable brew.

Apperance -5.0/5.0 - Perfect pitch black, creamy tan head
Smell - 3.5/5.0 - Smoke, chocolate, coffee, malt - lighter aroma
Taste - 3.5/5.0 - Alcohol, caramel, coffee and bitter smokyness
Feel - 3.0/5.0 - Bitterness with an aftertaste that sticks around the back of your throat
Drinkability - 3.0/5.0 - A good porter, but the bitterness threw me off. This is redeemed by the nice ABV though

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