Better with Pepper

I decided to back up the fresh made salsa tonight, made with home grown jalapenos, with a complimentary, peppery beer. I chose the beer Gypsy's Chipotle Porter, also known as 'Texas Ranger.' Perfect.

Review #28
Mikkeller Chipotle Porter aka Texas Ranger   ABV 6.6%
Mikkeller Gypsy/Phantom brewers  22 oz brown bottle poured into a Guinness Imperial Pint glass

A - A midnight black pour with a good half glass of tan head. Nice retention, with wonderful lacing in multiple lines. A beautiful, lace-like image is left on the glass from the gorgeous evaporating bubbles.

S - A mild smoke aroma amidst the dark chocolate and coffee bean. A wispy aroma of dark cocoa, baker's chocolate, earthy wood smells all intermingle in the second wave. The peaty aroma clings to the back of the palate with just a touch of pepper. Not near as much as I would have expected. A very nice, complex intermingling.

T - Initial tastes of roasted malts, wood charring and dark toasted bread give way to a smooth, mellowed chocolate flavor. The earthiness is strong again here, with a reminder of 'forest after rain' smell; wet leaves. The finish starts off thin, but the pepper builds, clings to the throat, finally showing off its namesake. No alcohol heat, a little lacking there. A burnt coffee finish clears out the pepper at the very last. Makes me want to brew a pot...or have a doughnut. Or both.

M - With as much as there is going on with the aroma and taste, the mouth feel is definitely on the thin side. Not awful, but easily the weakest segment of this brew.

O - This is a really, really nice beer. Lots of complex hints of flavors not readily noticeable in the aroma and vice versa. These crazy Danes know what they are doing, and they have a great plan of using everyone else's breweries to do it. While every Mikkeller beer isn't a hit, they will certainly never be accused of being boring or not thinking outside the box. Their willingness to try new things, new flavors is to be commended, and I will continually try their offerings on that basis alone.

Cheers,
Chris