Modern Times Haunted Stars
I love a good rye porter. That roastiness and peppery grain typically found in examples of the style suite my preferences to a tee. Modern Times don’t just have themselves one heck of an imperial rye porter with Haunted Stars. They allow the 8% ABV (45 IBU) brew to embrace the earthiness of its malt bill instead of constraining it.
This beer, had the chocolate profile been more pronounced, would have been a passable porter. Seeing as how Modern Times let the earthy, spicy nature of the rye shine through, the porter is just about exceptional. A balanced array of dry roastiness, grain, peppery rye, soft chocolate, earthy and a bit of cigar wash smoothly over palate, carried along by a slightly viscous mouthfeel. The earthy nature of Haunted Stars dominates throughout, but the chocolate does rise a bit as the porter warms.
To say I thoroughly enjoyed Haunted Stars would be an understatement. The porter’s blend of chocolate, coffee, spicy rye and earthiness encapsulated all the elements that I personally look forward in a beer of this style. Nothing demands the spotlight as leaning too heavily in one direction, but instead all aspects come together in unison and work incredibly well with one another. This beer will certainly be on my list of future purchases.