Black Abbey Potus 44

Style: Robust American Coffee Porter

abv: 5.5%

Nose: dark roasty, smells like coffee and the Cracker Barrel Gift Shop.

Overall Taste: Its like drinking a cold french press coffee. Very rich. The porter format for a coffee beer is a nice change from the Coffee Stout (which I love).

This coffee porter is made from Kenyan and Hawaiian coffee beans which I can only guess is a tribute to our current President (that and the name POTUS which we all know from Tom Clancy movies is secret service code name). When it occurred to me that the name of this beer was not some kind of ironic Latin nod to Martin Luther I was a little disappointed.  

There is not much not to like about this beer. I am a robust porter fan and I also like coffee in my beer. I drank most of this beer in the evening and discovered that it had a surprising amount of caffeine in it. I thought this was a plus but it could also throw someone off who is reaching for a night-cap.

Black Abbey says they want to specialize in Belgium-style beers but there is very little that is Belgian about this beer. If they used Belgian yeast in this beer it comes in faintly on the after-taste. Like most porters this beer should be drank quickly. Potus 44 does not improve as it warms like a stout. In fact, I might think this is true of most coffee beers.

This beer is draft-only. A Growler of Potus 44 would make a remarkable Christmas gift and could be enjoyed with pop-overs and french toast. A coffee porter could be the perfect pick-me-up after staying up late for candlelight/mass services. Last I checked this beer is still on tap at Craft Brewed Tasting Room on 8th by Melrose. They also have Stainless Steal Growlers for sale with a fill-up.

I look forward to Black Abbey's up and coming White Farmhouse IPA "Olympus Drained."  

--AS