Kona – Pipeline Porter
I am a long time reader, first time reviewer. Ever find yourself in one of those scenarios when you ask yourself; how the hell did I end up here? That was me last night when I met some friends at a hotel bar (Aloft Dulles Airport North) on a school night. Sparce, in that the eight of us made up a third of the crowd and a lesbian band (Mama’s Black Sheep) was playing in the background. Needless to say, I needed a drink.
Not expecting much when I went up to the bar, I was surprised to see a craft beer among all of the more common taps. Always up to sample something new, I ordered the Pipeline Porter from the Kona Brewing Company. It is dark and rich in color much like black coffee with medium body. Right off the bat you are hit with notes and flavor of chocolate that lead you into a nice coffee finish. A little sweet, but has a nice bitter balance. It is a seasonal beer that is available from September through March and is brewed with freshly roasted Kona coffee.
It was a decent dark beer that wasn’t heavy and went very well with my crab cakes. Being that we have been experiencing a triple digit heat wave, I didn’t mind putting a handful back where I normally would have stuck to a lighter beer.
10 Jul 2010, 8:52 pm
Well done Sawyer on your first review. I’m not a huge fan of the Kona brand, but i may give it another shot.