Bridgeport - Cafe' Negro Coffee Infused Porter

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer 
Cafe' Negro Coffee Infused Porter
Bridgeport Brewing Company
1318 N.W. Northrup 
Portland, OR USA
Est. 1984
www.bridgeportbrew.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 


Postmortem Brew Review
Rich root beer brown body color.
Roasted malt, roast coffee, hints of chocolate on the nose.
Luxurious frothy khaki colored head. Leaves trace lacing and covers to a cap.
Sweet malt flavor with nicely delayed coffee, then hints of chocolate in the finish.
Medium bodied. Great flavor complexity.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Sunday morning. House to myself and flipping through the news articles online. Oh, the digital age - no crossword puzzles for me. Read the news online instead of killing a rain forest for the paper. So instead it's just some quiet time now. Time to catch up on some blogging and some beer.


As the first days of low humidity have arrived here in Hell's Kitchen, I know the snowbirds will be arriving soon, coming to roost for the winter. It's about 68 degrees this morning and so nice outside. I couldn't resist sitting outdoors, curled up with the laptop and this beauty of a porter. Better yet, I am having the Cafe' Negro just at the peak of its nominal shelf life. All those coffee and roasted malt flavors have had a chance to get to know each other real well the past few months. And if I do say so, I am digging it! Get it? That's a Reaper pun. Oh, okay. Whatever. I'm easy, like Sunday morning....


This is something I would enjoy again and again as a Sunday morning eyeopener. After all, the folks at Bridgeport went the extra mile to infuse coffee in the porter, so why not indulge in a little weekend AM luxury? Ahh, relaxation...hmmmm, what's this? Why it's a crossword puzzle app for my smartphone!


Quick...what's a nine letter word for an outstanding porter?


Cafe' Negro.

Bridgeport - Hop Czar Imperial India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer 
Hop Czar Imperial India Pale Ale
Bridgeport Brewing Company
1318 N.W. Northrup 
Portland, OR USA
Est. 1984
www.bridgeportbrew.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 7.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 


Postmortem Brew Review
Deep orange color with a hazy body.
Big smell of citrus, mostly grapefruit but a pinch of pine hops.
Near white color, one-half finger head.
Good amount of sticky, draped lacing on glass.
The taste switches up from the aromas, where piney hops flavor dominates the citrus hops.
A little bit low on the carbonation.
Light to medium bodied.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Several things appealed to me about this IPA. First was the company name, as it reminds me of home. Not Portland OR, but my hometown is named Bridgeport.


The Hop Czar himself, tweeted to many of the bloggers that attended the 2011 Beer Bloggers Conference, held in Portland, OR. He was willing to pick up bloggers as they arrived at the airport, in full regalia - wearing the crown and hounds-tooth cape! Ha-ha! That is going the extra mile to impress. Alas, my flight arrived a bit too late for the royal reception.


Hop Czar is an Imperial, as the name would suggest. So what better to show on the label than an emperor, king or in this case, a czar. Is this the strongest Imperial as I have ever tasted? Well, no. But, moving up the chain of command, it leaves some room for "Hops Emperor" or "Hops King".


If you are fond of hops, it's a great beer. Give it a try.

Bridgeport - India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer 
India Pale Ale 
Bridgeport Brewing Company
1318 N.W. Northrup 
Portland, OR USA
Est. 1984
www.bridgeportbrew.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Golden color with hazy body.
Big smell of citrus, floral hops. Only the smallest amount of malt detectable in aroma.
Near white color, one finger head. Sticks around a while.
Good amount of sticky, draped lacing on glass.
Light, not too sweet, malty taste with boost of hops taste in the finish.
Light to medium bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Several things appealed to me about this IPA. First was the company name, as it reminds me of home. Not Portland OR, but my hometown is named Bridgeport. Brushing nostalgia aside, this bottle conditioned brew states. "Oregon's Oldest Brewery" on the bottle cap and also in raised script lettering, on the bottle neck. Being first at something, in the beer industry, is always good to claim.  Eyeballs roaming around the label, we find the statement, "Reach Beervana" in a fancy font on the backside. Hmmph...that's pretty cool. Must find that spot, someday.

But mostly, what intrigued me was this; over two years ago, I ordered this IPA while in Colorado but they were out. I really wanted to try it then, and resigned myself to another day.  Fast forward - - - today is the day! I really liked this brew by Bridgeport. A real great blast of floral hops on the nose, and a nicely balanced malt and hops composition in taste. This is so drinkable for an IPA. Pure pleasure to enjoy. I've a few more Bridgeport ales in the fridge and can't wait to review them as well.

Sometimes, you just have to wait. And brother it was worth the wait.