Berkley Coffee Porter

There are now over 100 breweries in Massachusetts. BostonInno put together an interactive map and counted 123, but that includes a few that are still a work in progress and are planning on opening this year. Check out the map HERE, and keep in bookmarked because they intend to keep it updated. As I browsed through the map I realized that there are a number of breweries that I haven’t written about on the blog, and quite a few small ones where I have never tried their products. This is going to be one of my goals for 2016; I want to write at least one article/review about every brewery in New England that cans/bottles and distributes to the Boston area, and try to visit a number of new places that are still growler/crowler only. It is hard to fit everything in even when I am writing 3 blog posts a week. One brewery that has been overlooked for far too long on Hoppy Boston is Berkley Beer Company, a 3 barrel nano-brewery out of Berkley, MA. Berkley’s beers are brewed in a barn using a handmade brewing system that utilized re-purposed materials. They currently brew four beers, their IPA and Golden Ale are flagship brews while Harvest Ale and Coffee Porter are seasonal. They also have some new beers in the works for the next year. Since February is Hoppy Boston porter month I grabbed a bottle of their Coffee Porter. Berkley Coffee Porter is available during the winter months on draft and in 22 oz. bottles.

Berkley Coffee PorterBerkley Coffee Porter pours midnight black with a solid tan head. The scent features a full hit of coffee aroma along with a little roasted malt. The coffee leads the flavor, rich and roasty but smooth. There is also plenty of malt character, notes of chocolate, toffee and toasted bread. A mild earthy hop flavor rounds out the beer, accompanied by a little bitter bite at the finish. The beer has the full body you want from a porter, but drinks easy and isn’t too boozy at 6.0% ABV. The finish is crisp with some lingering coffee flavor. This is a very solid coffee porter, especially if you are a fan of big coffee flavors in your beer. I will definitely be checking out some more Berkley Beer releases in the near future! Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.

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