Day 3 of the 3rd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 3: Rusty Rail Brewing Company Snow Flyer Porter
This is another new one on our list for this year. We don’t know a lot about this brewery other than they’re based out of Pennsylvania and we think they’re fairly new to Ohio. We haven’ tried any of their other beer but we’re always excited to try a new brewery. Their website doesn’t provide a detailed description but from Brewbound it’s described as “a rich and full-bodied porter brewed with natural hazelnut and cacao.”
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: As I have said on more than one occasion, I’m a very seasonal drinker. Love me some stouts and porters once there’s a chill in the air. Rusty Rail just came to Cleveland so I was excited to try this. Flavored stouts and porters can sometimes be a little overpowering, but this is quite nice. Just a subtle hint of hazelnut up front and the chocolatey cacao rounds out the finish. I’d definitely drink this again. I’m also a big fan of the name and the history behind it, love when a brewery gets creative in that respect.
Broad: I always think that I don’t really like porters or stouts but more often than not, I end up loving them. I did not have high expectations for this beer, but I really like it. I don’t think I would classify it as a christmas beer, but it does give me warm and cozy feelings. I taste chocolate, hazelnut and a hint of smokiness. This would be a good breakfast beer for Christmas morning.
Adam & Alex
Adam: I absolutely love porters and stouts. Guinness is probably my favorite “drink often” beer and this is one of my favorite beers we’ve done so far because of that. It has the familiar notes of a quality porter: it smells like chocolate, coffee and hazelnut to me and the taste has very rich chocolate, vanilla and malty goodness. It’s not a spices holiday beer and that’s just fine with me. I would drink a lot of these after going for a new amatuer recreational saucer sled land speed record.
Alex: I really enjoyed this beer. It’s smoky in a good way, like what you want to drink while sitting by a fire on a winter night. It’s comforting and warms you up just right.
Scott & Christa
Scott: The Snow Flyer porter by Rusty Rail Brewing Company gets a thumbs up from me. As a porter fan, I appreciate the hazelnut taste which sets it apart from your typical porters. We’re only three beers in and so far I’ve not been disappointed!
Christa: This beer promises a cacao and hazelnut flavor and while I get that in the nose, I don’t in its flavor. This just tastes like any vanilla porter to me, and to be honest I don’t really like vanilla porters. It’s definitely smooth, a touch bitter and would go wonderfully with some Christmas cookies…if you like vanilla porters. My husband took one sip and exclaimed “You won’t like this”. I hate it when he’s right.
Tony & Megan
Tony: You had me at “porter”. I’m a huge fan of darker beers like porters and stouts so I was excited to see this one as beer #3. You get those trademark porter aromas of chocolate and coffee and then as you begin to sip it those smells become the flavor profile. Chocolate, coffee, and caramel flavors go down smooth like a red flyer cuttin through some fresh powder. I didnt notice a difference between this porter and a more “holiday” flavored porter but that didnt matter because its good…..its real good!
Megan: Winter is the best time for a porter! The dark colors and depth really make you want to cozy up and watch the snow fall. Hints of coffee and chocolate fill the cup as you pour. I don’t know if I’d say this stands out as a Christmas porter compared to other porters but I thought the bottle was festive and it was very tasty. I would keep drinking. Cheers!