Why We Chose It: It's local. Bill and Jeremy were immediately drawn to it, and put it in the cart before I could say anything. Ah, it's imperial so it's worth a shot.
What DuClaw Says About It: An Imperial version of Sweet Baby Jesus! Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter that raises the bar again with its silky, full body, big roasted malt flavor and aroma dominated by rich notes of peanut butter and chocolate, subtle fruit and coffee notes, and a strong, warming 9% ABV. For Pete’s Sake!: It’s a whole new level of Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter!
ABV: 9%
IBU: 45
Plato: 21*
* Plato - This indicates the ratio of fermentable sugars to water in the beer. It's based on the specific gravity(the gravity/density of the beer at any given time), and is given in degrees.
Fun Facts: Personally, I've only been to DuClaw when I'm stuck at an airport or the mall. That's may have created negative connotations. In reality, it's first brewpub was in Bel Air, Maryland in 1996. The Pete's Sake is based on the Sweet Baby Jesus, which has won a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival.
As I worked from home today, I started drinking this around 3:45... yes, a 9-percent beer during my last conference call of the day. It helps with my creativity, I rationalize.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this beer perfectly represents my evolving tastes and why 24DOB is so great. I have steered away from these in the past, but the richness of flavor and well-managed booziness has become very appealing to me. While I'm generally not a chocolate person, a porter combining peanut butter with chocolate cuts into the lingering sweetness well. Plus, this leaves a clean dry finish that I am fond of.
All in all, I give it 3.5 out of 5 Willy Wonkas.
Tasty...I didn't taste the peanut butter too much, but it was there. Bill/Jay/Chip: didn't we have something similar to this recently at Bluejacket? That one was even better, if I recall correctly. (I don't see it on their current list, though.)
ReplyDeleteAh Untappd. The historical records once again pay off. Caribou. Drank it at Randy's retirement post-party party. 4 stars!
DeleteWow, I'm not usually much of a DuClaw fan. I mean, what is it with the random capital C? I mean, I probably shouldn't criticize six letter names with the third letter randomly capitalized, but DuClaw sounds French but then Claw isn't very French. Anyway, you can probably tell from my opening that this is a 9% ABV beer. Bold move putting that on a Monday night. Very bold move. Now onto the actual beer. I really enjoyed this. The peanut butter and chocolate are both noticeable, but not in an overpowering, offensive way. Subtle. Very subtle. As is the booze. I've had their Sweet Baby Jesus a few times and do enjoy that, but I think I like this better. But this was a very pleasant surprise. A solid find on day 3. I seem to remember us choosing between two DuClaws and deciding to go with this one based on the bonus kick. Probably will need it to watch the Skins tonight. Although the main goal will be for Jordan Reed to not have the game of his life so I can get that much closer to winning some beer in the untappd fantasy football league.
ReplyDeleteSidebar: Ro is a bit upset that we did not consider peanut allergies when selecting the beers. That's why I thought we were going to have this on Friday or Saturday when she was out of town. But this out of the gate would have been a big, bold, probably ill-advised start.
Sidebar #2: I have now downshifted to the Oliver 8% ABV Haze Mage. Now that's my go-to Baltimore brewery. Truly exceptional.
I typically stay away from chocolate, peanut butter-type beers these days. And I don’t especially like SBJ. So hopes were not high for this selection. However, the subtlety of the flavors made this an enjoyable 3rd night of 24BOC. And the 9%ABV makes this a good beer for the “value”. 3.5 out 5
ReplyDeleteToday was a pretty manageable Monday so I actually felt somewhat guilty having a 9% despite today not being too difficult at school. I already liked Sweet Baby Jesus. I tend to like things that are sweet but also with an alcoholic bite so of course this was a slam dunk for me. Bill makes me think that it needs to be cold for porters but the past two days have actually been comfortable. I bet it is about to get real cold. 3.75-4 out of 5 for me.
ReplyDeleteMy tastes seemingly haven't evolved as far as Shep's - I would normally steer away form this beer and I'm OK with that. More subtle so liked it better than SBJ (as others appear to also) but I think I like my porters a bit smokier. Probably why I like Islay scotch too I guess. Overall better than I expected though.
ReplyDeleteI’m on the same page as everyone else - this is a subtler version of Sweet Baby Jesus, and that makes it better. Except the alcohol content is less subtle. Which is also better.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed all three beers so far. Enjoyed to the point where I'd probably buy any of them again. I liked the Pagoda the best so far, followed by the Saison, and then by today's selection. I thought the Pagoda was crisp and drinkable, and I loved its citrusy/floral hops. I wanted another when I was done. The Farmside was a bit heady and almost too fruity, but still a pleasurable quaff. It didn't have the "bubblegum" finish I'm accustomed to with those Belgian styles. Today's porter was swinging big. I caught the chocolate and peanut butter hints, but I was a bit disappointed with the unbalanced bitter finish after the sweetness upfront. Still, I enjoyed it and would drink it again. [Side note: I never thought of peanut allergies in association with beer... yikes! Another side note: DuClaw has a restaurant on this side of security at BWI, which I have had to frequent on several occasions waiting my mother-in-law's flights, and because of the atmosphere there, I never really took it too seriously as a brewery, but I think I will reexamine my ignorance there.]
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to tomorrow's chili porter!
I didnt have 'high hopes' [God that song is annoying] for this on opening given I'm odd with my preferences. [I like chocolate in a bar, croissant or mousse au chocolat; I love my coffee black, unsweetened and hot - but I just don't like cold coffee]. For this reason I really didn't think I could out of fairness contribute with a rating. At first. Initially I got this burst of treacle and chocolate. Then as I drank more the cold coffee flavor dominated, and my interest left the station. After 45 mins I still had half a glass left. [Those who know me, know this us unusual.] I was wondering if I could enjoy finishing it. Mary had no fish to fry in it. I went to the freezer to see how it would go with Vanilla Ice Cream. Unfortunately the kids had scoffed it all. HOWEVER, bright idea: I added a dash of Cointreau [30% mix] and it tasted great! Better still, with a 50% mix with cointreau: 4.4 stars!!!
ReplyDeleteI thought my comments yesterday were particularly harsh given I have always liked duclaw at the airport, and of course it's great to support local breweries. Also I'd never actually had a chocolate Stout before. But, inspired by 24DOB [-thank you, guys-] I picked up a bottle of 2 different Chocolate stouts on the way home tonight to compare. Neither comes close to the nutty aroma and flavor of Pete's. Also, theyre lightweights at 5.2% & 5%. But for finish and aftertaste the two newer ones I have to say were way better. I didnt need to turn them into a Tia-Maria style cocktail this time. I'm sure you think it Sacrilage for me to break the rules in this comparison. But the Youngs Double Chocolate stout was really good. The Samuel Smiths Organic Chocolate Stout was even better...
Delete(Just to be clear: the 4.4 rating was only the 'cocktail' version. My net score 2.2)
DeleteI generally like coffee porters and stouts. This one is pretty solid. The PB was unnecessary, but it was subtle enough that I got used to it. Wish I had a Reese's to go with it. 3.5 jars of JIF.
ReplyDeleteThis beer is so strong that it made me believe that while I was watching a football game that Mark Sanchez is still an NFL quarterback. I guess that is what a 9 ABV will do for you. Not a huge fan of this one. It may be the fact that I am suffering from some nasal congestion and Cold-eze zinc lozenges have ruined by taste buds, but I found this more bitter than toasty, and had a hard time locating that peanut butter.
ReplyDeleteI will add that I have found DuClaw's products somewhat uneven, but they have an Oktoberfest called Mad Bishop that I thought was awesome.
I score it 2.5 butt-fumbles.
I may rate the next 21 beers on the butt fumble scale
DeleteGO Eagles!!!
DeleteDrinking this out of a plastic cup on a hotel bed, no doubt deeply offending the brewer. Definitely get the chocolate. Don't get much peanut butter.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I love 24 days of beer. I would never buy a 6 pack of this. Never order it at a bar. But this forces me to try something different. I'm a better human being. All thanks to #24dob.
I’m glad you can convince yourself that drinking beer out of a plastic cup at Natiounaoul Haurbour makes you a better person. Wait a minute, I am convinced! I give that comment 4 out of 5 butt fumbles
DeleteMy thoughts kept changing on this one. Should I like it? That's odd. Ooh, nice and smooth. what was that flavor? Mmm ... peanut butter. I like it better than the sweet baby Jesus, b/c it is stronger and the base flavor handles the PB better. Very fun beer for the novelty but I wouldn't want more than one. per year. well, maybe per month. I'd give it a 2.5.
ReplyDelete