A review of Pipeline Porter from Kona Brewing, Hawaii.
LAST-MINUTE PANIC! SIX NO-SHIP GIFT IDEAS
Buy a GamePass for a friend |
 Beer of the month club membership |
 Full Tilt Poker gift certificates |
 Amazon.com gift card |
 Give a better life with Heifer.org |
  Brew Your Own magazine subscription |
Pipeline Porter review
Submitted by Matt Yee
Pipeline
Porter is
Kona Brewing's latest
limited edition offering, which, according to its label, is made from 100% Kona
Coffee. Its packaging is beautiful, recalling the
nostalgia of Duke Kahanamoku
and Hawaii's Golden Era of surfing. As a graphic designer, the
throwback early 1900s screenprinted poster style caught my eye. More to
the
point, however, it was also the first Porter offering I'd seen from
Kona
Brewing.
Needless to say, I was more than a bit curious about it.
Anyone who is a fan of Porters (most notably, Deschutes Black Butte Porter and Anchor Steam's Christmas brews) knows they possess a distinct burnt flavor, a platform which makes the combination of chocolate or coffee a natural choice.
While Porters share the similar
charcoalish taste with Stouts, in my
experience Porters are closer than Stouts to 'normal' beer, in that
they tend
to have a stronger carbonated presence and a slightly hoppy beer
aftertaste.
Stouts have that bitterness also (often to an extreme) but it doesn't
quite
linger on the tongue in the same way Porters tend.
The initial and middle tastes have that
distinct burnt taste, with undertones
of coffee. However, the one thing that struck me as odd was that it completely
lacks any aftertaste. Unlike most beers where the taste
lingers long after your
last swig, this Porter starts strong, then rapidly diminishes
near the end.
There is no aftertaste, no lingering
goodness. The carbonation's also a
bit too
mild. And perhaps it's nitpicking, but that's sorta what I like about
beer.
That said, Kona's latest offering is still good. Damn good. While I'm
writing
this review, I'm on my second and I'm growing to really like it. And
part of
it, I'm happy to say, is ironically because it lacks an aftertaste.
Unlike most good beers, if you have more than one, you have to continually clear the palette with water, or risk missing out on the flavor (it never helps that as you get drunker, you stop caring what you drink). This is especially true if you drink different beers in one session.
With Pipeline Porter, it starts off
strong and
flavorful and ends completely smoothly: almost like drinking juice! In
some
ways more of a 'girly drink' than most girly drinks, and yet offering
so much more.
Newcastle Brown ale is
often considered a gateway to better beer. In Hawaii, however,
Newcastle bears the 'Heineken-stigma'
in that once the locals
try Newcastle, they don't go further than that. And that's a damn
shame.
Well my friends, a new gateway beer is here! But more to the point, Pipeline Porter is not just a good entry-level beer, but one beer lovers can grow with. A good gateway beer should never be the end in itself, but the beginning of the end.
GET INVOLVED!
usa
canada
world
LATEST UPDATES
LINKS
"Where does he get all those wonderful toys?"
ThinkGeek: launch rockets from your PC, send digital insults to drivers and own a REAL light sabre!
Guinness Product HQ
We've rounded up the greatest collection of Guinness gear on the planet! Shirts, hats, glasses, home bar products, giftware, tin signs... all official! Guinness Product HQ
