Welcome to Beer Tastings, a series in which Utah Beer News highlights an interesting (and tasty) local brew. This time: Mole Porter from Bewilder Brewing. What are you drinking? Let us know!
Beer Tastings: Mole Porter
Bewilder Brewing, one of Utah’s newer breweries, released its first higher-alcohol packaged beer on Halloween 2020. Mole Porter is a 6% brew that delicately blends sweet and spicy in a mouth-coating enjoyable sipper.
The beer marks Bewilder’s foray into so-called “high point” beer. In Utah, draft beer must be 5% ABV or lower. That limited Bewilder, which had opened in December 2019 without a way to package higher-alcohol beers.
To expand its offerings, Bewilder bought a small-capacity canning machine. Timing-wise, it realized it could deliver its first 16-ounce canned beer in time for Halloween and Día de los Muertos. Going forward, Bewilder expects to offer a limited-release high-point beer about once a month.
Mole Porter: A First for Bewilder
Bewilder’s Mole Porter is brewed with cinnamon, cocoa nibs and chipotle peppers. It pours an opaque chocolate brown with a graham cracker-colored cap of foam.
The beer features aromas of chocolate and a hint of cinnamon. First-sip flavors include chocolate-covered cinnamon bear with a toasted-bread maltiness.
A subtle, smoky chipotle spice fills the mouth and a little residual heat remains as the beer makes its way down the throat. Roasted pepper emerges as it warms in the glass, as do some chewy raisin notes. A second tasting a week later revealed practically no noticeable heat. It’s a medium-bodied beer with moderate carbonation.
Bewilder Brewing, located in downtown Salt Lake City, is owned by two childhood friends who for the last decade have operated a pair of homebrew shops.
It took more than a year from the time McKendrick and Metzger signed the lease on Bewilder’s building to serve its first pints across the bar.
Two months later, the world changed and measures to help slow the spread of coronavirus impacted countless small businesses. Throughout its first year, Bewilder angled to keep its dream afloat. It refocused its website to cater to a to-go audience. It made its popular sausages available for customers to cook at home. And Bewilder slowly began creating socially distanced events, among other initiatives.
Now, nearly a year after opening, Bewilder Brewing enters its next phase of development—supplying Utah’s beer drinkers with creative, high-point offerings to-go, starting with Mole Porter.
The Stats
- Brewery: Bewilder Brewing
- ABV: 6%
- Serving Style: 16-ounce can
- Date Tasted: Nov. 13, 2020
- Purchase Location: Bewilder Brewing
Mole Porter — Bewilder Brewing
Product Name: Mole Porter
Product Description: Bewilder Brewing, one of Utah's newer breweries, released its first higher-alcohol packaged beer on Halloween 2020. Mole Porter is a 6% brew that delicately blends sweet and spicy in a mouth-coating enjoyable sipper. It's brewed with cinnamon, cocoa nibs and chipotle peppers.
- Aroma
- Appearance
- Flavor
- Mouthfeel
Summary
Bewilder Brewing’s first “high-point” canned beer, Mole Porter is brewed with cocoa, cinnamon, and chipotle peppers.
- Aroma: Chocolate and a hint of cinnamon
- Appearance: Pours an opaque chocolate brown with a graham cracker-colored cap of foam.
- Flavor: Chocolate-covered cinnamon bear with a toasted-bread maltiness. A subtle, smoky chipotle spice fills the mouth as the sip lingers. Roasted pepper emerges as it warms in the glass, as do some chewy raisin notes. A second tasting a week later revealed practically no noticeable heat.
- Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a throat-coating warmth.
But you don’t have to take my word for it.
Notes: The tasting notes format is adapted from a Homebrew Academy Beer Tasting Mastery course. Utah Beer News is not compensated for beers mentioned in the Tastings series unless expressly noted. A version of this article first appeared on PorchDrinking.com.
