Beer from Here: Homestead Beer’s Stovepipe Winter Porter

Homestead Beer Company’s Stovepipe Winter Porter is lovingly crafted for these chilly days as bottled baubles of libationary bliss (alliteration + beer = beerliteration). From the name of this beer alone, I had hight expectations of smokiness. To me, the word stovepipe conjures up images of a little cabin in the woods, covered in snow, with a wood-burning stove keeping things nice and toasty.

As I poured this beer into my glass, such images were validated. A building cloud of smoked, roasty malts bloomed out of the glass and puffed up against my nose – as if rising out of a brick chimney. Underneath the smoke, notes of bold coffee mingle and provide a bit of a tang along with a slight hint of earthy darkness. You won’t find an overpowering, “Juan Valdez’s Special Reserve” coffee aroma here – just enough to add another layer of full-bodied darkness to the overall profile. At the very bottom of each breath, a mildly sweet edge of dark chocolate swirls in with the coffee and provides a nice counter to the smoke, while adding a touch of earthy sweetness to the bouquet. As a whole, it’s a very comfortable aroma. It’s nothing as potent as an Imperial Stout – instead using its powers of darkness to create a feeling of warmth.

As far as the flavors, they’re just as comfortable as the aroma. As you drink, you may find yourself sinking down into your chair as feelings of ease and coziness settle over you. Big notes of richly smoked malts and bold, roasted coffee engulfs your mouth like quilted darkness, clinging to every inch of the tongue for a few moments before mellowing into a tasty essence of smoky bread. Coffee takes over the back of the tongue while lingering malts settle in on top. The back edge of each taste brings the smallest hints of earthy chocolate – adding a touch of sweetness and a noticeable bitterness that hits the tip of your tongue just like biting into a bar of pure dark chocolate. With each drink the coffee notes grow, but they leave the bitter tang of strong coffee behind, lending only flavors. And, at 4.3% ABV, flavor is the only thing you’ll find in this beer. There’s not even the smallest hint of alcoholic strength to be found. Don’t worry, though – this works out quite nicely. Each taste contains enough flavorful boldness to turn your comfort level up to 11 without forcing you to deal with any super-alcoholic side effects.

Now, my biggest worry for such a low ABV was how it would feel on the tongue. I’ve experienced more than a few low ABV beers that felt like water. If you’ve been unfortunately enough to have lived through the same horrid ordeal, I’m here to set your mind at ease. Stovepipe manages to bring all of its bold flavors to your mouth while remaining full-bodied and pleasant on the tongue. There is a touch of watery thinness at the end of each drink, but it was only for an instant, and faded quickly. The smoky flavors lent some dryness that countered the thin finish, leaving each taste to be flavorful and enjoyable.

Homestead Beer Company’s Stovepipe Winter Porter doesn’t shatter any boundaries. It isn’t that new, ground-breaking beer that will change the face of craft brewing forever. And that’s ok. Sometimes, innovation and progression should take a back seat to tradition and memories, and this beer is all about memories. Even if you’ve never been in a tiny forest cabin in the middle of winter, this beer will plant such images in your mind until you’re dressed up in your finest turtleneck and snow-pants, ready to wander off into the wilderness with nothing but a beer and a smile. Smoky malts, bold coffee and dark chocolate mingle atop your tongue to create a nice stout/porter taste – suffering only a slightly thin finish that’s countered by the lingering robustness on the tongue. Its low ABV allows this beer to shine when enjoyed with friends – especially if you find find yourselves snowed in for the evening. The low alcohol will allow you to enjoy a bottle or two, while assuring that you’ll be able to stay up long enough to add the last log to the fireplace. With the first official day of Winter right around the corner, be sure to grab a bottle of Homestead’s Stovepipe Winter Porter, and enjoy some darkness on the shortest day of the year.

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