Alewerks Brewing Rapadou Porter
So when I picked this bottle of Rapadou Porter up a couple of months ago I was struck by two immediate questions. First, what’s rapadou? Secondly, when the hell did Williamsburg Alewerks change their name!? The company has apparently at some point recently (or not so recently) dropped Williamsburg from their name.
I must be living under a rock as this is the first time I’ve noticed the switch, and I’ve had a few of their beers in recent months. Any one? Bueller?
That second question may go unanswered, but apparently rapadou is a sweet treat (of Haitian heritage) comprised of rolls of brown sugar and molasses. And that’s all that I could find on that particular subject. Thankfully, my tastebuds were able to tell me more about it than the expansive Interwebs was able to. The combination of the brown sugar and molasses makes this 8.5% ABV porter one of the more rich and decadent takes on the style that I’ve had in quite some time.
Appearance
Rapadou Porter pours an opaque black in color with a slowly falling cap of light brown foam.
Aroma
Chocolate, molasses, brown sugar and a touch of roasty coffee fill the nose with a deliciously decadent character.
Taste
Knowing sort of what went into this brew, I was concerned that it was going to turn out overly sweet. Rapadou Porter is sweet, but not so much so that I would classify this as a desert beer. It’s got a moderate amount of sugary sweetness that rests comfortably behind a coffee-driven character. Thick molasses, chocolate, caramel and brown sugar all come and go as they please throughout the life of the beer. The beer is full bodied and viscous with a slightly warming glow in the semi-dry finish. There’s also a hint of bitterness lingering in the end.
Overall
I liked this beer. I’m not sure that I would be able to drink more than a bottle of it in a sitting though due to the richness it brings to the palate. Still, Rapadou Porter brings an new and interesting array of flavors to a genre of beer that I really love exploring. I glad that, despite the name change, it doesn’t appear that much else has changed at this relatively local brewery.
Rating: 4/5
