Tyranena Benjis Chipotle Smoked Imperial Porter

Brewed by Tyranena Brewing
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Lake Mills, Wisconsin USA

On tap, pours black with a thin white head but good lacing. Tasre is almost neutral when it’s cold, but for a biting aftertaste. As it warms, flavors of chocolate emerge, though not strongly. There remains a biting aftertaste that we’ll attibute to the chipotle - a bitter, hot pepper aftertaste. Well done in that this is not an overwhelming charateristic, but the beer loses points for making me try too hard to figure out how it tastes.

Draft at OF. Opaque black with a healthy beige-tan head. The pepper is present, but melds quite nicely with the hoppy bitterness. Mild smoky heat in the aftertaste. Well done. Medium to full bodied. The pepper seemed less noticeable in subsequent pours a few weeks later.

On draft at the brewpub the day before DLD 09. Pours a dark cola with a mahogany tint and a medium sized light brown head. Aroma of baking chocolate, malts and nuts. Taste of baking chocolate, malts and nuts.

at GTMW ’09. pours black with tan head. nose of pepper, musty,baker’s chocolate. flavors of chocolate, caramel, mild peppers in finish. pretty tasty.

Smoked chili aroma with some sweet maltiness. Brown with a rich head. Chili and smoke with notes of light chocolate. Medium thick palate. Not bad.

GTMW 2009. Poured an opaque black color with a tan head. Typical porter aroma of chocolate with a hint of roast. Medium bodied and delicately sweet. Dark chocolate dominated the flavor, but there were distinct smoke and spicy pepper accents. I wanted more pepper burn, but this was interesting.

Had on tap at Old Fashioned in a pint glass. Flavor is big roast, coffee, and chocolate, with a touch of smoke, but there is really not much to the chipotle side of this. I was quite disappointed in the lack of presence there. Otherwise a drinkable porter.

Sampled @ GTMW ’09 - Pours dark brown with a creamy tan head. Smells sweet, with raisins and bourbon. Roastiness comes off as a little burnt. Taste is a bit of smoke, roast coffee, and just a bit of pepper heat at the end. Like others, I’d like to see that flavor more pronounced, as that’s kind of why I’m drinking it. It’s smooth and creamy, but without the chipotle taking over, is pretty much Tyranena’s base (and very good) IP.