JP's Imperial Date Porter

In case you were wondering, not this isn't my first homebrew post (search "homebrew" on the sidebar). In fact, this isn't even the first beer from this particular individual I've covered. JP previously sent a Dunkelweiss my way, and having seen what I did with it, was eager to put this beer to the test.

Boasting a much more complicated description than the first, JP describes this beer as an "Oak-aged Imperial Date Porter made with dates". I think he really wanted us to know about the date part. Right out of the bottle, the beer was a little heady/over-carbed, but given everything that's going on in here, you really can't blame him. You're immediately graced with a dark fruit aroma, and the first taste is rich and sweet without being overpoweringly oaky. It has a nice, smooth finish to boot. As the beer warms, more of the fruit notes come through.

Prep/Cooking

Due to the aforementioned headiness, mixing this batter was a little complicated. After the dust settled, the batter had a predictably dark color and a noticeably boozy aroma. The batter's flavor lost some of the sweetness of the beer and the oak notes came through. The most noticeable characteristic is that ~9% ABV coming through the batter.

Results

The first thing I noticed was this incredible aroma coming off the plate. Before I could even bite into one, there was this amazing fruitcake aroma, maybe with a little rum. It stopped me in my tracks. When I finally got around to trying one, the flavor was just wonderful. Waves of flavor wash over you as the richness of the oak chips, the fruitiness of the dates, and the smoothness of the porter all hit you in turn. A deep, nuanced flavor with a perfect finish.

The Decision

I usually break form when it comes to homebrew posts because the likelihood of anyone else getting their hands on this is virtually zero, but I will comment on adding syrup.

At first I was reluctant to add syrup at all given how rich and complex the pancakes themselves were, but I felt I had to stay true to form, so onward I went. Syrup gave these pancakes an almost candied sweetness, and brought out the dark fruit flavors much stronger than in beer or batter form. The strong oak finish refused to be subdued, though, which created an overall interesting and elegant flavor experience.

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