Flavored Porters — Tree Brewing Co. vs. Maui Brewing Co.

Tree Brewing Co.
Raspberry Porter
ABV 5%

Color: Dark brown with red accents. No head.
Aroma: Chocolate covered raspberries.
Flavor: Slightly tart with raspberry and coffee notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): None. Overly fruity.
Finish: Bit thin and acidic with lingering raspberry taste.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre -

Maui Brewing Co.
Coconut Porter
ABV 5.7%

Color: Black with tan head.
Aroma: Sweet coffee.
Flavor: Rich, sweet coffee with some hop bitterness and maybe just a hint of toasted coconut (or was that just the power of suggestion?).
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced.
Finish: Sweet with some coffee bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Winner by unanimous decision: Maui Brewing Co.
We picked up this bottle of Raspberry Porter on our recent trip to Canada, so as far as we know, it is not readily available in the Seattle area. Consider yourselves lucky because the Tree Brewing Co. Raspberry Porter is not very good. It's yet another example of one of those beers that we would have finished and been OK with if it had been on its own, but when compared side by side with the Coconut Porter all of its flaws were magnified.

The Tree Brewing Co. porter was interesting at first, but the more we tasted it, the more it seemed off in some way. The Coconut was just so freaking good that every sip of the Raspberry seemed like a waste of time and calories. The fight was so lopsided, in fact, that eventually we just gave up on the Raspberry altogether and dumped it down the sink. Mind you, it wasn't absolutely a dumpable beer, but when you're comparing it to the sweet, rich, balanced, concoction of chocolate malt and toasted coconut that is the Maui Brewing Coconut Porter you're liable to make rash decisions. And at that moment it seemed completely reasonable to use the Tree beer as a drain cleaner while we closed our eyes and made oohing noises with each delightful sip of the Maui masterpiece.

Extra credit: The Coconut Porter has a tag line that is completely baffling to us. It says "... Like hot chicks on the beach." What? If anyone knows the story behind that line, please fill us in.

European Beers Our Friend Matt Gave us to Battle — Williams Brothers vs. Franziskaner

Williams Brothers
Fraoch Heather Ale
ABV 5%

Color: Clear, rusty gold.
Aroma: Roasted malts, black pepper.
Flavor: Somewhat thin with a floral malty sweetness and notes of toast.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty.
Finish: Bread dough and lemony citrus.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse
ABV 5%

Color: Cloudy, dirty gold.
Aroma: Bananas, cloves, cardamom, lemon.
Flavor: Ripe bananas, yeast.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Neither.
Finish: Clean, refreshing and acidic with a bit of lingering clove spice.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Winner by unanimous decision: Franziskaner.
In one corner we had the Fraoch, a Heather Ale brewed in Scotland using an ancient Gaelic recipe. In the other corner we had the Franziskaner, a Hefewiezen hailing from Germany. It was an outdoor fight and the sun was blazing which may have given the Franziskaner an unfair advantage since Hefeweizen-style beers taste extraordinarily good on a hot day.

The Fraoch was certainly a well-made beer with a unique flavor, but it seemed thin and feeble compared to the Franz. The ancient Scottish recipe did manage to hold its own for a short time with some veteran guile, but was ultimately picked apart by the fresher, livelier German. We suggest you try the Fraoch this autumn, as the flavors would seem to make a good match for some cooler weather and hearty harvest fare. The Franz, on the other hand should find its way into your refrigerator quickly so that you can enjoy it on one of these last hot days before the sun disappears for the next 8 months.

IPAs — Boundary Bay vs. Laurelwood

Boundary Bay IPA
ABV 6.4%, IBU Unknown

Color: Cloudy, brownish-orange.
Aroma: Intensely hoppy. Orange zest and rosemary.
Flavor: Early sweetness before a blast of citrusy hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Lingering lemon rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good+

Laurelwood Workhorse IPA
ABV 7.5%, IBU 80

Color: Clear reddish-orange.
Aroma: Toasted malts and funky cannabis hoppiness.
Flavor: Fairly one-dimensional. Slightly fruity, then lemon water.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Intense, piney, medicinal, long-lasting bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Winner by unanimous decision: Boundary Bay.
Sunny days call for sunny beers. The Workhorse features a sunburst on the bottle and the Boundary Bay features a sunset. Befitting of the labels, we staged the battle outdoors under clear and sunny skies.

Hop flavors are very polarizing. Some people love the funky, ganja-smelling hops, while others like something more citrusy or piney. Our preference lies in the citrusy spectrum which is exactly what the Boundary Bay delivered. We also look for a solid balance of sweet maltiness to balance the bitterness of the hops and once again, the BB came through for us in that arena.

The Laurelwood would probably have tasted just fine on its own, but when compared to the BB it was definitely lacking. This is a key tenet of the Bottle Battle philosophy: if you like beer and try a bottle on its own, you'll more than likely find it to be pretty good. However, if you taste it side by side with another beer you are able to create some sort of context beyond your personal taste memory with which to judge it by.

But, enough with that philosophy stuff, let's get to the fight! The Workhorse must have carried one too many kegs on his back (see label), because he seemed a bit tired in this one, ultimately taking a nap on the canvas in the second round. Too bad — he missed a glorious sunset.