Tuesday Tasting: 1/2 Idjit

There are more styles of beer than kids who like Armour Hot Dogs.  Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks.  Pale ales, brown ales, and Dopplebocks.  Today’s tasting is one of those styles that most people know, but may not be super familiar with: Porter.  Porters are often considered a precursor to a modern stout and are generally brewed with chocolate, roasted, and caramel malts.  Depending on the particular subset of the style, a Porter may or may not have strong hops notes and a variety of roasted malt flavors. 

Today’s tasting comes all the way from Sweden’s Dugges’ Ale and is known as 1/2 Idjit Imperial Porter.

Appearance
The beer is very dark with a slight red./copper tinge when held to the light.  A gentile pour will result in little to know head.  A vigorous pour will give you a half finger head at best.  Very light lacing is left on the glass.

Smell
Coffee is the first thing that hits the nose.  Milk chocolate and tiramisu are the couple smells that register.  One is reminded of a Starbucks coffee shop in mid summer when holding a pint of this beer to the nose.  Wanna be writers, working on Mac laptops, sipping on iced coffee come to mind.

Taste
An espresso shot, a White Russian, Kahlua, and burnt toast are the flavor notes that are immediately recognizable.  Raw cacao, caramel, and burnt sugar also make their presence known.  One can’t help but think of their favorite Stout when drinking a pint of this beer.  A smokiness is also detectable. 

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied and very lightly carbonated.  Could use a bit more effervescence.  The dry finish is the only characteristic that screams Porter.

Drinkability
A very pleasant beer.  Smooth and drinkable.  The beer blurs the line between stout and porter which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  One would be a full Idjit for not trying this beer or checking out the Dugges website (available only in Swedish).  Overall grade for 1/2 Idjit: B


1/2 Idjit