It
takes a Strong Man
by
Barclay Nelson
 Brewer Dan
Heinzerling at Dallas-based Humperdink’s recently unveiled the latest
version of the Strongman Imperial Porter.
He has refined his recipe for four years now and the latest 4.0
version is a chocolaty treat.
To give
you some background on the name, the name Strongman is a reference to the so
called “strong men” in czarist Russia that ruled local communities in the
absence of political figures.
Or it may just speak of Dan’s affinity for international strong man
competitions. The Imperial name
implies higher alcohol content and flavor. And Porter is a category similar
to a Stout.
Porters
like Stouts are full bodied dark English beers with loads of malted barley.
However, the Porter’s roasted flavor is chocolaty rather than the
coffee-ish flavor found in Stouts.
Higher alcohol content beers like these Porters have long brewing
cycles taking about 3 months to brew unlike a typical micro beer which might
take 3-4 weeks. All this added
time builds in complexity and thick flavor.
The
Strongman Imperial Porter’s name is most apropos as it imbues it’s imbibers
with a feeling power. Yup, it’s
heavy and dark. You don’t want
to spill one of these on a white shirt.
Or then again maybe its power derives from the hefty 8% alcohol
content. Dan warns “it will
sneak up on people if they’re not aware of it”.
This is especially true as the common Porter alcohol taste is more
hidden than typical Stouts and Porter’s.
Also, while Porter’s typically have a lingering aftertaste; the
Strongman Imperial Porter “comes off the palette cleanly” as Dan says.
Dan
Heinzerling has been brewing for 13 years and has won three of the coveted
Great Amer ican Beer Festival
medals. I think you’ll enjoy
his craft and his latest work.
If you can track him down at Humperdink’s on Greenville Ave in Dallas, he’d
love to talk beer with you.
More info at
http://www.humperdinks.com/
Barclay
Nelson is a Financial Marketing & Research Consultant that likes to taste
new beers, test drive cars, fly fish and smoke cigars.
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