Black Butte Porter by Deschutes

It was a very long journey.  Even Frodo and Sam would have been impressed.  Frosty and I were on the road for a whopping 7 hours and by the time we reached the Oregon border, we were ready for sustenance.  Like a beacon, Joe’s Crab Shack called to us and we gladly answered the call.  After sliding our tired bodies across greasy vinyl seats, the waiter asked if we would like a drink.  Frosty asked what was on tap.  The waiter, obviously ignorant of our desire for real beer, listed several types of canned water.  “Well, we have Budweiser, Miller, Coors…”  I was about to get up and drive back to Seattle when he finally listed a few beers.  One was Black Butte Porter.  I was in a mood for a more robust beer so I jumped at a chance to give this porter a try.  (Frosty actually ordered a sangria.  I offered him my purse and shoes to go with it.)  Fortunately the beer arrived before the staff at JCS started dancing to ‘Love Shack’.

This porter was exactly what I was looking for.  It was very robust and filled with a smoky/woody/chocolate flavor that went well with my crispy white fish sandwich.  I could have easily finished another glass and joined the staff during their second dance show.  Usually beers like this are best during the fall and winter months, but I was getting tired of lighter ‘summer’ beers.  The porter hit the spot and didn’t seem too heavy.  Frosty would have tried some, but didn’t think it would have gone with all that cherry syrup in his sangria.  ;)