JFP Porter (Lab Rat Series)
Rivertowne Brewing, Pittsburgh, Pa. / 5.8% ABV
In case you haven't heard, I am a die hard Notre Dame football fan. Every Saturday during the months of September, October and November I meet fellow Fighting Irish fans to watch our favorite team play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. Notice I threw in one of the most difficult schedule in the nation in there for you fans of other teams who play meatballs throughout the year and then win the National Championship. Yeah, you know who you are with that elephant mascot. I could rant and rave forever on this, but I won't. It's time to talk about beer.
Now you might be wondering why I am mentioning Fighting Irish football in April? Well, that's because this past Saturday was the Notre Dame Spring Blue & Gold game. This game features the team competing against itself in a shortened and adjusted game format which allows coaches to assess the progress that they have made during their spring practice time. This also allows for fans to get an early glimpse of how their favorite player has progressed and what the team may look like in the fall. They also get to witness a game that the team will not lose. That's an inside joke. I guess they can't win the game either, but it's all about whether your glass is half full of beer or half empty.
What the Spring Game also provides is a reason for really die hard fans to get together to satisfy their jag for college football and to tip back a few brews while evaluating their team. Well, that's what I did this past Saturday with a few die hards at The Tipsy Turtle on Market Street in Jenkins Township.
I must say that I was so excited to hit The Turtle for the game that I was actually in the parking lot before the place even opened. I had my "Play Like a Champion" hoodie on and my evaluation skills warmed up and ready to go. When the doors opened at high noon, I stormed the ramparts along with a few other ND fans and headed directly to the bar. I have to admit, I was also excited about trying a new beer or two while watching the game. You see, The Tipsy Turtle always has a great selection of beers on tap and good food on the menu.
As I settled in, one of my friends and fellow Notre Dame fan Mike C. busted open the door just as the game began. When we ordered our first round of beers, I noticed Mike had a really dark beer in a snifter. Mike is a sort of beer "lab rat" who will try anything. I asked him what it was and he uttered the words Lab Rat. Say what? Lab Rat. Is it good? Pretty good. I had to find out what this was and how it tasted since Mike is a beer connoisseur like myself. So after I finished my first beer, I asked the bartender Jordan for a Lab Rat which prompted a funny look and a huh? I said a Lab Rat, the beer that Mike ordered. She then corrected me and said you want a JFP Porter. YES!
THE REVIEW
SIGHT: When my JFP Porter arrived, I saw an opaque black color beer with a beige head which was served in a snifter. When I held it up to the light I saw a slight reddish hue down the middle of the glass. The head was about a 1/4 of an inch thick, which hung around for several sips. This was a nice looking porter to say the least. Now I was really interested in what this smelled and tasted like.
AROMA: As I lifted the snifter to my nose, I smelled the crisp aroma of chocolate. It wasn't an overpowering smell, but just a slight aroma of chocolate. I was also able to get hints of coffee and a woodsy aroma. This appeared to look and smell like a typical American Porter.
TASTE: Now I had to take a taste to find out if this Porter met the standard. As I took my first sip, I could taste the chocolate right up front. Like the aroma, it was not a blast of chocolate flavor, but a nice flow of chocolate over the palate. I was also able to taste back notes of nuts and grassy earth tones with a slight alcohol-like bite at the end. This made total sense since JFP Porter is made with English Fuggle Hops. This beer had a well balanced but weak flavor. Just as an FYI, I let this beer warm up a bit thinking I may get a better read on the aroma and flavor. I did not.
Before I go any further, I'm sure you want to know about English Fuggle Hops. English Fuggle Hops were first released into the marketplace in 1875 by Mr Richard Fuggle of Brenchley in Kent,
UK. They have a wonderful, delicate, minty, grassy and slightly floral aroma along with a floral and earthy flavor. Fuggle is also grown in Slovenia as Styrian Goldings and in the USA as Oregon
Fuggle and reputedly as US Tettenang. In the United Kingdom, it is susceptible to wilt and has been
produced in lower volumes in recent years.
Overall, I thought the Rivertowne Brewery JFP Porter was an OK drink. In 2017, this Porter won a Bronze Medal in the Robust Porter category at the Great American Beer Festival. It was part of a series of beers that Rivertowne Brewing produced under the Lab Rat Series name. I'm not sure how it won, but it did. I would have one or two during a sitting, but I would not go crazy with it. This was somewhat of a typical Porter, that came up a bit short on aroma and flavor. You can pair up a JFP Porter with a plate of cheeseburger sliders and fries (The Tipsy Turtle has good ones) or a nice cheese steak hoagie. If you would like to try the JFP Porter, take a run over to The Tipsy Turtle on Market Street in Jenkins Township. They have it on tap.
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5= Outstanding
4= Very Good
3= Good
2=Fair
1=Skunk
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