For this week's Tasting Tuesday, Christian tries a VERY small-batch beer with a VERY cool story.
As beer bloggers, we're often asked to try some interesting beers, and give our opinions. Once it was an experimental mint chocolate stout from a brewery. Once it was a first sample of a new, contract-brewed "chaos beer". Once was even Budweiser wort (which is actually DELICIOUS).
Frequently, though, we're handed a bottle or invited over to try some homebrewed beer.
Recently, a friend of ours, Joey, handed us a bottle of his homebrewed beer. Joey's been brewing since 2009 under his own private label which he's dubbed, "Ashton Aleworks", and the bottle he gave us was his White House Honey Porter.
Why the name? "The White House Honey Porter was inspired by several home brewers who worked at the White House in 2012."
It's 6.4% ABV English Porter that, interestingly, pours a very dark purplish black with good carbonation.
These tend to be slightly malty with a touch of sourness, which this has. There's a strong fruit taste, similar to plums or raisins, and the finish is a little bready and slightly dry with a mild bitterness that quickly dissipates. In short, it's a spot-on English Porter, and it's delicious. "It's better straight out of my kegerator," Joey reports.
It's beers like Joey's that remind us of where beer comes from, and where every great brewer started. There's a great purity to homebrewing, and few things as great as the confident smile you get from a brewer handing you the beer they're most proud of. And we'll forever be grateful and flattered to have these beers shared with us.
Want to hear more about brewing at The White House? Here's a great link worth reading.
Cheers!
Christian & Eric
Christian & Eric
