Brew Day - 4.15.12

So another brew day is upon us!  Perusing the kit selection at the brew store, Kendall and I came across a) a Maple Porter and b) a Smoked Porter..  so why not combine them!?  So we're gonna do the Smoked Porter, add pure maple syrup according to the Maple Porter AND we found some spruce extract..  soooo  Maple Spruce Smoked Porter it is! - Bunyan's Brunch -

BUT, like before, the only real way to brew is to drink some beers at the same time!

Peak Organic - Weiss Principal - an 8.6% ABV 30 IBU Imperial Hefeweizen.  Yep.. you heard right.  Imperial. Hefeweizen.  Heard of one before? Me neither.  Insanely cloudy, insanely heady.. and insanely yeasty.  There is a crap-ton of sediment in this, whoa.  Hefeweizen nose - clove, banana, citrus, yeast.. a bit of wheat - but a nice subtle booze kick with some hoppy notes.  Fairly full bodied for a wheat beer, but heavy on the carbonation.  Yeast dominates with strong banana and orange notes.  Some boozy heat as the beer warms a bit and some peppery spice kick in as well.  A nice piney hop finish..  a real unique take on a Hefeweizen.. bigger, bolder but smoother in many ways.  Pretty damned cool.  (And yes, that's malt extract warming int he background!)

Since Hefe's aren't quite Kendall's cup of tea, the second beer we enjoyed was a bit heavier..  Another Stone collaboration - Stone/Troegs/Jason Fields&Kevin Sheppard - Chocolate Cherry Stout.  A 7.3% ABV and 37 IBU stout with chocolate liquor, vanilla beans and 4.5 tons of cherries.. yep, 4.5 TONS!  DAMN  A basically pure black pour with a thick, light tan head.  HUGE chocolate aroma - like rich brownies soaked in Kahlua, along with cherries and other dark fruits.  This is beyond smooth.. it's silky, creamy, rich.. unbelievable.  Crazy amounts of roasted malts, cocoa powder, milk chocolate... fairly strong booze coming through on this too.  The kicker is the subtle cherry tartness, nice acidity to it, not overpowering at all.  But the way it lingers..  it coats your mouth..tongue..throat with a chocolately goodness, hints of sweet vanilla poking through.  A winner, through and through!  I just hate this was a one-off beer.. this and the Toasted Coconut Macademia Nut Porter would be amazing to have time and time again!