Beer Spotlight!

Winchester Brew Works Bear Tracks

$14.99 for the 16oz can four-pack
Peanut Butter Porter

If you’re old enough, you may remember a popular ad campaign talking about getting peanut butter in your chocolate (or chocolate in your peanut butter). In today’s craft beer world, you can just as easily talk about getting peanut butter in your beer.

It’s interesting, because you’d think that we would call beers with peanuts or peanut flavors added to them “peanut beers.” However, the overwhelming majority of such beers call themselves “peanut butter” beers, and their existence is no small feat.

It’s difficult to brew with peanuts. We’re told that their oils and fats mess with carbonation and head retention, also delivering a texture that is less than desirable. So brewers have had to develop workarounds to acquire peanut flavor while still delivering a successful brew. Some use powdered peanuts. Some use peanut extracts. We’ve even read of brewers filtering beer through peanut shells.

These techniques are usually worked over dark, roasty beers — stouts and robust porters with the latter easily taking the lion’s share of production. Yes, the Peanut Butter Porter is definitely a thing, and it’s time for Winchester Brew Works get their thing in action.

The Winchester Brew Works Bear Tracks starts with “plenty of roasted and caramel malts” to make a Robust Porter. They then add peanut flavoring. They’ve used dried peanuts and peanut powder in previous batches, and have decided that, ironically, the flavoring delivers a stronger peanut flavor. You can certainly taste it. The Bear Tracks allows the light roast of its malt to ease into a dry peanut finish. It’s like having two great tastes that taste great … well, you get the point.

We invite our fans of DuClaw’s Sweet Baby Jesus! to try this more local option. :)