Thanks to the genius that is Twitter, I found out that Monk’s Kettle had Port Brewing’s Hot Rocks Lager on tap a couple weeks ago. Since I hadn’t been able to try it on my recent brewery trip down to San Diego, I made a point of heading over there to check it out.
I was fascinated with the idea of a “stoned” (adding hot stones to the wort during the brewing process) beer and having never tried one, was eager to check it out. From what I’ve read, adding in hot stones caramelizes the sugars to give it a toffee flavor which sounded right up my alley as I generally love toffee and caramel flavors in beer. As you can see, it has a beautiful ruby brown color with an off-white creamy head. Definitely had a caramel-y smell and taste with quite a bit of lingering flavor. I found this beer to be quite drinkable; not overwhelming in its taste and really enjoyable. And at 6.2% ABV, you can savor a few of these without too much punch. Definitely worth checking out if you happen to come across it.
What are your favorite characteristics in beer? Caramel? Toffee? Sour? Hops? Share your thoughts in the comments.