From the Beer Writer: Last week, I shared news of Rip Current Awareness Week in tandem with a harrowing story of getting caught in a rip current as a child and needing to be rescued. To wash away those memories, I headed to a brewery turning this informational period into its anniversary celebration, reigning Great American Beer Festival Very Small Brewery of the Year, Rip Current Brewing Company, and ordered up one of their strongest beers. In doing so, I expected the alcoholic punch typical of a full-octane offering, but instead encountered something smooth, bittersweet and downright comforting. It went down so easy that, soon, I found those frightening recollections banished from my memory in exchange for the happy here-and-now. What was this magical elixir, you ask? It goes by the name of Rip Current Kona Storm and is an English-style porter brewed with coffee. It’s one of the more balanced examples of this style in town. Well attenuated and cut nicely with a supportive hop-bill, it was the ale to cure what was ailing me.
From the Brewer: “Kona Storm is an imperial porter with our special blend of Kona and Sumatran coffees. We cold-steep the beans so as to not extract the acrid tannins from the coffee and infuse them into the porter. The result is a rich, complex coffee aroma and flavor with an assertive backdrop of dark breads, chocolate and fruity flavors from the imperial porter. Despite its massive 10% alcohol-by-volume, this beer is easy-drinking, allowing you to enjoy a second serving…as long as you’re not operating heavy equipment. And bonus—we’ve extended our anniversary promotion, so you can purchase a commemorative Rip Current Awareness Week glass then enjoy $2 refills of any beer in it through the end of this weekend.”—Paul Sangster, Co-owner/Brewmaster, Rip Current Brewing Company