The Swill: Midnight Sessions Lager
The Still: Port Brewing Company
San Marcos, California
http://www.portbrewing.com/
The Drill: American dark lager, 22oz bottle, 5.0% ABV
The Spill: A rare treat, this is a lager that uses roasted malts to give it its black color and light brown head. Scents of the roasted malts include rich odors of coffee and toffee. The mouthfeel is all lager, light, but rich from the robust ingredients. The taste isn't quite as bold as the aroma, but a nice bitter finish punctuates the end of this easy drinking beer.
Says Bill: This beer is great for dark beer drinkers who want something they can chug down. To me, it's reminiscent of Sam Adams Cream Stout in its flavor, and of New Belgium's 1554 Ale in its robust drinkability. It's not often you see a dark lager, or at least one as dark as this, even though there aren't really any limitations as to what you can put into one. Its definition merely requires it to be fermented using a certain type of yeast and to be done at a certain temperature. The ingredients can vary. I like that the brewers have chosen to make this one for the dark lovers.
Refill?: After 59 beers, I'm starting to run out of clever endings: 3.5 taps out of 5.