Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter, $6.99 per six-pack.
This Bend, Ore., brewery’s flagship beer is a subtly complex but highly drinkable porter. Black Butte pours out coffee-colored with a medium head that dissipates at a leisurely pace. The beer’s strongest flavors — a touch of chocolate and a light grassiness that gives way to a lingering bitterness — never overwhelm the overall drinking experience.
Deschutes employs the Krausening brewing method, which pairs a young fermenting wort with a more mature one to produce a natural carbonation.
Black Butte Porter added to Deschutes’ long list of awards by picking up the Gold Medal for its class and category at the 2007 Australian International Beer Awards. Deschutes Brewery; .
Barry Osborne
