Roebling Imperial Robust Porter

Brewer: Rivertown Brewing Company, Lockland, Ohio
Alcohol Content: 7.8%

Official Description from Brewer:
"Brewed with imported sweet vanilla beans, cold pressed espresso/coffee & raw cane sugars.  Like a big, chewy, vanilla, coffee infused brownie, Roebling Porter brings tons of chocolate aroma & a docile acidity."

Wilk's Take:
First and foremost, thank you to my sister-in-law Danette for feeding into my beer obsession with a variety pack for Christmas.  Nothing warms my heart more than an endless supply of beer to opine about.  The first one I grabbed was the Roebling due to its compact 12oz bottle that looked oh so cute in my fridge next to its big brothers.

Roebling pours like liquid red rocks.  It settles in the glass a hearty brown, but held in the right light, the ruddy, reddish brown that originated in the pour can be caught.  In direct contrast to the brewer's description, Roebling reeked of espresso right out of the gate; coffee heavy to the extreme.  I really buried my nose in the glass to capture the vanilla and chocolate but kept coming up short.

I dove in for the first drink and the taste sensation that settled over my tongue defied what my nose just got done telling me.  The bitter smell of espresso gave way to a taste of chocolate heaven.  I actually said out loud "the taste defies the smell."  The chocolate led the charge with the espresso in a close second trailed by the vanilla bean.  Frankly the vanilla bean was only evident on the inside of my cheek after I swallowed.

Roebling surprises as you drink it.  As I neared the bottom of my glass the aroma that lifted into my nose was that of chocolate and no longer espresso.  The taste of coffee virtually disappears as well and all that is left is a full flavored porter and I wish I had another one in the fridge to grab.  Alas, I'll have to track it down another day or forget about it when I have another beer.

Suggestion: This is my first time even seeing a beer by Rivertown Brewing Company.  I'm sure Danette will tell me where she got it.  Find this beer and try it.  While you're at it, might want to invest in another Rivertown beer, as this one is a rare breed (as offered on their website).

Value: I can't really speak to the value of Roebling.  As part of a variety pack I can only imagine that it ran anywhere between $2-3 for the bottle alone.  That's better than any bottle you can buy at a bar.

Michelle Factor: Not only did Michelle give it a whirl, so did special guest Melanie.  Both liked it and Michelle agreed the taste defied expectation.