The Badass Beer Advent Calendar: December 16th

We’re sixteen days into our Badass Beer Advent Calendar, so we thought maybe you could use a wake-up: How about some Coffee Porter?

By Dec. 17, 2010

Real Ale’s Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale has to be one of the most popular beers around central Texas, and I really can’t help but mention that they brew our house beer - Drafthouse ESB.

Their range of seasonal brews is outstanding, including (but not limited to), Real Heavy Scotch Ale, Devil’s Backbone Belgian style Tripel, Lost Gold IPA, Real Ale Oktoberfest, and my favourite - Phoenixx Double ESB.

But it’s the late fall/early winter seasonal that we’re interested in today - Shade Grown Coffee Porter. Beginning with last year’s release, Real Ale brew it with FairTrade organic coffee from Houston’s Katz Coffee Roasters. Want to buy the same beans that goes into the Coffee Porter? Knock yourself out!

Recently they’ve embarked on a project called Mysterium Verum (Real Mystery). It involves (at least, so far) taking several of their beers and ageing them in oak barrels which have previously held wine. That’s a bold move in some ways - barrel-aged beer is usually put into ex-whiskey barrels, but the results so far have been a success. They’ve gotten pretty inventive with the names too. Barrel-aged Real Heavy becomes Highlander (there can be only one); Sisyphus Barley Wine becomes The Kraken; Devil’s Backbone becomes Devil’s Share and Lost Gold becomes Empire.

Dum cerevisiam est spes est (while there’s beer there’s hope).

Jim Hughes, Head Beer Nerd, Alamo South Lamar
“If I had all the money I’ve spent on drink… I’d spend it on drink.” ~ Sir Henry Rawlinson

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