Dick's Brewing Lava Rock Porter

I think I found a method to the madness for the next couple of weeks (I have spent as much time hemming and hawing each day over what beer to drink as I have actually drinking them), but I'm keeping it loose for the rest of this week, so here comes another tasting from Dick's Brewing Company.  Porter is a style of beer I fall in and out of love with every couple of years, and after a year or two of neglect it's time to fall in love again.

Dick's Lava Rock Porter poured black into the glass; cloudy with suspended sediment (the film at the bottom of the bottle leads me to believe it may be bottle conditioned) and a frothy cream head.  The nose was predominantly mocha and espresso with accents of fruity hops.

Lava Rock Porter was a surprise on the tongue... leading with a sweet, cherry-flavored hops that slowly faded to a dark chocolate malt that combined with the cherry notes and lingered for some time like a cherry cordial.  The long, chocolate-cherry body eventually faded, ending Lava Rock Porter on accents of roasted coffee. 

Much like last night's tasting, I was surprised how much was happening with this beer.  The cherry notes from hops are something I don't recall experiencing before and isn't something I would have sought out, but they complimented the chocolate and made the beer seem less heavy.  I absolutely recommend lovers of porters and plain old beer drinkers alike check this out to try a somewhat different take on the classic porter style while still enjoying all the things that make a porter great.