Peanut butter is one of my all time favorite foods, I eat it nearly every day, typically on toast at breakfast. I also believe that the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is a peak of culinary greatness. I am not a huge sweets person, but if I see a dessert on the menu featuring these two ingredients I am probably loosening the belt and giving it a shot. I was clearly the kid who hoarded the Reese’s on Halloween. All that being said, I never would have thought to put peanut butter in beer. I know that brewers are experimenting with a really wide range of ingredients, but peanut butter?!? When I first heard that Foolproof Brewing was releasing a version of their popular Raincloud porter with the addition of peanut butter, I thought it was a joke, and when I realized that it wasn’t I knew I had to give it a shot. If I had to choose a style to mix with PB porter or stout, with the natural chocolate flavors from the roasted barley, would seem like logical choices. This is part of the reason I am writing Hoppy Boston, I can try some pretty strange beers and then report my findings to you my readers. Foolproof Peanut Butter Raincloud is available on a rotating basis in 12 oz. cans.

Foolproof Peanut Butter Raincloud pours pitch black with a solid off-white head. The scent is a mixture of roasted malt and some peanut butter. Similar to traditional Raincloud, the beer is malt forward with touches of milk chocolate, cappuccino and molasses. The peanut butter is present in the flavor but subtle, it adds complexity without being the star of the show. The hops round out the beer with some grassy notes and a bit of bitterness. The beer is medium bodied and drinks smooth, not too boozy at 5.4% ABV. The finish is crisp with some roasted malts and peanut butter flavor in the aftertaste. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Peanut Butter Raincloud, I love peanut butter and I love porter, but I would have never thought that combining the two would be a good idea. I am glad I was wrong, and encourage you to give this a shot. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.

Previous Foolproof Reviews:

Foolproof La Ferme Urbaine, Foolproof Raincloud

Foolproof Brewing Company in Pawtucket, RI was originally founded as High Jinx Brewing, but changed their name to prevent a potential trademark dispute. Foolproof was founded on the principle of experience based brewing where each beer was brewed to be perfect for a particular drinking experience. For example, their flagship “Backyahd” IPA was brewed as an ideal BBQ beer. Foolproof distributes their beer to RI, MA and now CT. Their year-round beers are sold on draft and in 12 oz cans, while their special releases are sold in 22 oz bottles. One of Foolproof Brewing’s popular brews is Raincloud, a Robust Porter designed for enjoyment on a rainy day. Brewed with dark malts and a blend of European hops, Raincloud is a beer to drink when the weather keeps you inside.

Foolproof Raincloud Robust Porter pours coal black with a large and well sustained tan head. There is very nice lacing on the glass as you drink. The smell is pretty neutral, some dark malts and coffee come through. The dark malts dominate the taste, strong flavors of dark chocolate and coffee with a little molasses. There is a nice hop bitterness balancing out the malt flavor, providing a solid equilibrium between the malt and the hops. Foolproof Raincloud Robust Porter has a full mouthfeel, but goes down pretty easy for a dark beer. At 6.5% ABV it is moderately alcoholic without putting you under the table like some bigger stouts and porters. The aftertaste is a mixture of mocha flavor with a little hop bitterness on the tongue. This is a very well done and drinkable porter that makes me want to check out more of Foolproof’s offerings. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.