Gold Hill Brewery Hank’s Porter

The weather is a little colder today, so I’m choosing another beer my parents were kind enough to bring from Gold Hill Brewery, their Gold Hill Brewery Hank’s Porter.

Gold Hill Brewery Hank’s Porter poured a sticky yellow head over a mildly carbonated dark brown body highlighted with dark orange near the edges.  There wasn’t a lot of aroma to the porter, but notes of earthy chocolate and coffee were present. 

                                                                                                                                                                                    

Gold Hill Brewery Hank’s Porter had a nicely carbonated and acidic start that cleared the palette in preparation for the silky chocolate core of the porter.  It was extremely smooth and thick; coating the mouth with an extended slightly sweet but dry finish. 

Gold Hill Brewery Hank’s Porter was a pleasant surprise after being let down by their Axe Pic’n Stout.  It certainly falls on the thicker and more filling side of the porter spectrum, but it manages to throw in classic porter flavors without feeling too big or strong.

Gold Hill Brewery Axe Pic'n Stout

A beer brewed in a winery?  That's what the folks at Gold Hill Vineyard are offering.  OK... it is likely brewed on premises, but away from the wine, but that's not what's important.  Let's crack open a bottle of Gold Hill Brewing Axe Pic'n Stout.

Gold Hill Brewery Axe Pic’n Stout came out of the bottle thick and flat, with almost no head to speak of.  The nose was pure roasted coffee with hints of caramel malts.

Axe Pic’n Stout drank with no hop presence up front and followed though on it’s appearance by rolling thick and flat over my mouth.  Coffee, chocolate, and caramel figured prominently in the core of the drink with a barely detectable herbaceous note I couldn’t put my finger on… something between eucalyptus and sage.  Axe Pic’n Stout ended on a roasty, dry finish.

I’m torn on my impression of Gold Hill Brewery Axe Pic’n Stout.  The lack of carbonation, thickness, and emphasis on sweetness makes it drink more like a flavored latte than a stout.  For me, it is too chewy and dessert-like and doesn't deliver on what I expect from a beer experience, but it certainly has flavor in spades… it’s all about what you’re looking for, I suppose.