How I love a good dirtoir. I remember as a kid sitting and just wasting the day away with a big bucket of dirtoir and thinking I was the luckiest child in the world. As I grew older I would take my love of dirtoir with me everywhere I went and if there was a party you could bet your sweet ass I was bringing a big old bucket of dirtoir. I love dirtoir… there I said it. I don’t care who knows.

Alright you caught me fibbin but I do love this beer. I wouldn’t bullshit you about that. It’s what the fine people over at Rogue Ales call GYO or Grow Your Own. Meaning they made the beer with their own hops and barley. They even made the sand that made the glass that made the bottles. Then they made metel to make the caps. Again I lie but I am serious about the hops and barley. Makes you feel like you’re helping the world when you drink it.

There is a nice roasted barley aroma to it. Kind of like a good coffee with some chocolate notes. Just a touch of the hops happiness. I don’t know, it’s good people. The taste really shoots up the coffee like flavor. “Black, like my men” as they say. Lots of chocolate here too with more acidic flavor then I’m used to, but not in a bad way. Really good and of the few black lagers I’ve had I ranked this my favorite.

Rogue Ales - Dirtoir Black Lager

You ever wake up in the morning and automatically get excited to have a beer? I know me too! But then the wife starts telling you that you’ve got a drinking problem and the next thing you know you’re walking into an intervention and your whole family is crying in your living room. Only plus there is usually its pot luck so you’ll at least get a nice lunch out of the whole thing. Where was I though, oh yeah beer in the am. I love a coffee stout or porter for this reason. You don’t feel so bad about drinking in the morning. There’s no need to wait till after 11 am to start your day off.

And thanks to the good people at Philadelphia Brewing Company you now have another tasty option to add to your morning rotation. Their coffee porter is mighty good my friends. According to their website the gang uses about two and a half pounds of coffee in each barrel. I don’t know if that’s a lot but I assume it is or they wouldn’t have pointed it out.

The aroma is just like breakfast in my house. Big coffee notes with some chocolate and caramel coming along. Alright I don’t usually have chocolate and caramel for breakfast but stick with me here. Nice sharp black coffee bite in the flavor is the main focus and that’s a really good thing. If you’ve been disappointed in the past by a lack of coffee flavor in your stout or porter this is the one for you. It’s also named after me… well at least I assume so.

Philadelphia Brewing Co. - Joe Coffee Porter

Well hello there my little friend! Aren’t you a bitter little bugger? That’s what I said to my Green Flash Brewing Co. West Coast IPA. Why is it a west coast IPA you might ask? Well the brewery is in San Diego, and if the recordings of 2Pac have taught me anything it’s that California is very much on the west side. If you need any more reason that that then you’re against 2Pac and against me and I suggest you move along.

The beer has a sharp piney aroma too it. Lots of hops all up in your grill. Notes of grapefruit come into plat also. I’m excited kids. The first ship has a big sharp bite too it. All about the hops, not to overpowering but defiantly the main focus here. Strong, dry and bitter finish rounds everything out. Really a great example of an American IPA. I love freedom and I think if 2Pac was alive today, which he very well may be, he’d be proud of this one.

Green Flash Brewing Co. - West Coast IPA