REVIEW: Stone/ 10 Barrel/ Blue Jacket Suede

Here in Lexington it seems we've skipped fall and gone straight from summer to winter. One day temperatures in the 70s and shorts, seemingly the next it's damn near freezing and I'm looking for my boots. Normally I would find such an abrupt change unwelcome. But when I've got big malty beers waiting in the fridge a good cold snap is just what the doctor ordered. Today's beer is another one of Stone's many collaborations. This time it's an imperial porter brewed with avocado honey, jasmine and calendula flowers and is brewed with help from Washington D.C.'s Blue Jacket Brewery and from Bend, Oregon, 10 Barrel Brewing. To the beer!

Suede pours a deep, dark brown with very pretty bright scarlet highlights. Atop the beer sits a rocky, quite resilient layer of tan head that laces beautifully.

Roasty smoky malt aromas of coffee and dark chocolate mix with a sort of boozy subtle heat and a dry cake molasses character. There's a very faint spicy floral note in there as well. The nose on this one isn't super in your face. It's much more on the subtle, understated side. I like it though.

On the palate Suede is silky and full bodied. On a big porter like this I expect to be greeted by big malty flavors as soon as the beer hits my tongue. Suede is different though. The malty flavors are there but they take a backseat to a robust earthy bitterness. Behind the bitterness you find a rich, roast, smoky maltiness with flavors of dark chocolate and bitter coffee. The real star of this beer is the fantastic balance. As it warms a subtle floral complexity emerges. 

This one really hits the spot. If you can track down a bottle of Suede do yourself a favor and snag two. This delicious, fabulously balanced beer is well worth your time.

HD