When I decided to do a segment on strange beer (and yes, I will have some interesting beer to talk about in the near future), I decided to do a little research and see what odd concoctions I could discover via cyberspace. My initial search took me to a beer that, upon drinking, is not all that strange, despite its peculiar and slightly pornographic name. I'm talking about Porkslap brewed by Butternuts Beer & Ale out of Garrattsville, NY.Now that you know the name of the beer, I'm sure you have a few questions. Let me first answer the question that I am sure is on everyone's mind: yes, I am single. However, I am a man of discerning taste (as evidenced by the fact that I drink Porkslap beer). Having said that, I must ask that...well...please refer to this gentleman's t-shirt. Just kidding ladies; I havetandards.
Okay, now we can start on the more relevant questions. I'm sure you're wondering what a beer named Porkslap tastes like. Some of you have probably guessed that it's a rauchbier, and you would be WRONG WRONG WRONG! Porkslap is a "Pale Ale Farmhouse Ale," which is both redundant and very nondescript. The only reason I'm calling it a P.A.F.A. is because that's what it says on the can. You heard...er...read me right: Porkslap comes in a can. It's a trend that I've noticed amongst some craft brewers (see Slyfox), but I'll talk more about canning vs. bottling in a future post. For now, let's get to the meat of this review.
Wherein I Describe The Beer
Porkslap is amber in color and translucent, but not the clearest beer. It develops a thin white head that lasted throughout the drink session. As I sipped, the head laced down the glass, which is always a pretty sight. As for the aroma, Porkslap smells of earthy hops and, surprisingly, ginger. I say surprisingly because you don't expect that kind of smell from a beer named Porkslap. It turns out that ginger is actually an ingredient in the beer. This might turn off some of you, but it actually works very well with the hops.
Taste-wise, the ginger really hits you up front, but quickly achieves an equilibrium with the malty base of the beer. For those who homebrew, the taste is comparable to the types of flavor you get from crystal malts (plus ginger). For those who don't homebrew, why the hell aren't you homebrewing? Hop flavor is present and works harmoniously with the ginger and malt, but does not overpower like in some American pale ales. Porkslap is pretty light in both mouthfeel and alcohol, finishing somewhat dry and only clocking in at 4.3% ABV.
Porkslap is amber in color and translucent, but not the clearest beer. It develops a thin white head that lasted throughout the drink session. As I sipped, the head laced down the glass, which is always a pretty sight. As for the aroma, Porkslap smells of earthy hops and, surprisingly, ginger. I say surprisingly because you don't expect that kind of smell from a beer named Porkslap. It turns out that ginger is actually an ingredient in the beer. This might turn off some of you, but it actually works very well with the hops.
Taste-wise, the ginger really hits you up front, but quickly achieves an equilibrium with the malty base of the beer. For those who homebrew, the taste is comparable to the types of flavor you get from crystal malts (plus ginger). For those who don't homebrew, why the hell aren't you homebrewing? Hop flavor is present and works harmoniously with the ginger and malt, but does not overpower like in some American pale ales. Porkslap is pretty light in both mouthfeel and alcohol, finishing somewhat dry and only clocking in at 4.3% ABV.
I was thinking about calling my latest batch of homebrew a Chicken-choker Brown Ale,
but then I decided against it. Chicken-choker is a much better name for my stout.
The Verdict
- Porkslap is not a bacon beer. I'm still not sure I would call it a P.A.F.A. Maybe an amber ale with ginger would be a more appropriate description.
- Its kind of kitschy to drink craft beer from a can.
- Porkslap has a good aroma and an intersting and refreshing taste if a somewhat lackluster mouthfeel. It would probably taste better in a bottle, but that's a discussion for another day.
- If you want a low ABV session beer for your next lawnmower ride, try a can of Porkslap.
- I broke my previous record for unnecessary hyperlinks--And for that you will be punished!--...Ah fiddlesticks...
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