A porter you should find at Post Street Ale House—but alas, you don’t—is Black Butte XXI, the teeth-kicking “special reserve” edition of the Black Butte Porter. Clocking in at a hefty 11% ABV, this is probably not the type of beer you’d want to use to introduce your Bud Light Grapefruit (or whatever it’s called) drinking friends to the better stuff. It is, however, delicious if you, like me, are a porter type of person.
The XXI hits your tongue with a fairly intense smokiness, with more than a hint of chocolate. The latter is explained by the addition of a generous amount of Theo Chocolate to the mix. Furthermore, it is dry-hopped with 100 lbs of coffee, which adds its own signature to the flavor. Coffee, chocolate, and smokiness… Yes, this isn’t necessarily too subtle—although there is more to it than what initially meats the tongue—but also extremely tasty.
With its high alcohol content and flavor-fest, the XXI isn’t a beer to wash down a slice of pizza or anything either. This is the type of beer you take your time with, and sip slowly. Think of it as the hoppy brother of a good cognac. Or a whiskey, seeing that portions of the XII has been aged in whiskey barrels.
The Black Butte XXI can still be found around town. Run and pick one up while you still have the chance.