Each bottle of BridgePort's Raven Mad Imperial Porter comes with 3D glasses to view it's 3D label.
BridgePort Raven Mad Imperial Porter

BridgePort's newest seasonal release, Raven Mad Imperial Porter is part of it's Big Brew series, which also includes Old Knucklehead Barleywine, Hop Czar Imperial IPA, and Hop Harvest Ale. About 185 Barrels of Raven Mad were brewed, making up 1300 cases of bottles, and the rest was kegged. This beer will be available in bottles and on draft starting Thursday, October 23rd.

Weighing in at 7.3% ABV, this Porter is a bit stronger than most, but not too strong to chase away the masses. This beer began it's life back in April, when about 30 barrels were brewed and racked into bourbon and wine casks. Aging the beer in these casks allows the beer to absorb qualities of these containers, such as oak and bourbon flavors. Because these flavors can become too overpowering with time, the beer was blended back in with about 150 barrels of non-aged imperial porter.

BridgePort Raven Mad Imperial Porter
Raven Mad's labels on the bottling line.
The result is a complex beer that contains not only the rich roasted coffee and chocolate notes of the porter, but also hints of oak, vanilla, and bourbon. The higher alcohol content of this imperial beer also mingles well throughout the taste. At 7.3% ABV, this beer is on the low end of the imperial spectrum, as some imperials can finish at around 12% ABV. The ABV piece of the brewing puzzle is easily predicted through the recipe, so the brewer just has to decide how they want the alcohol to fit with the other flavors in the beer profile. In Raven Mad, the alcohol is definitely subordinate to some of the other flavors in the beer.

So, as the days cool off, keep your eyes out for the releases of local fall and winter seasonals. BridgePort's Raven Mad Barrel Aged Imperial Porter is one that helps our palette's get ready for the chilly days and nights ahead.


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