Rising Tide Tempest

Beer and Coffee are Portland's biggest local drink interests, with brewers and roasters creating names that have traveled well beyond the Maine state. This review is about a porter that's from a correlation of Rising Tide Brewing Company, and Bard Coffee: The Tempest. Let's see what Rising Tide can do with a fine bean from Bard.

This beer poured impressively in my pint glass with a light foaming head, and a bit of carbonation seen on the walls. The aura given off of the head wasn't of brewed coffee, but of coffee beans. On the tongue the first thing noticed is the carbonation leaving a tingle of a texture, but the dark roast coffee comes right after and stays throughout the rest of the experience. Like the scent, it's more of beans but not a brewed coffee because this part is not bitter at all. Semi-sweet malts in a dark-chocolate way exist on the palate too, working their way through the initial coffee and carbonation elements after a few sips. It's mid-weight body makes the Tempest very easy to drink in comparison to other porters, even with the coffee and chocolate aspects.

The Tempest isn't the dark beer that will put hair on your chest, (despite the strong palate), because of how well the chords played by Rising Tide's Tempest play together. It's an A (excellent) in my book and will be a common choice of mine when I want something to sip at the end of the day. I hope it becomes a staple on the shelves of fine beer selections.

Bard Coffee Costa Rica Pepe Naranjo Honey-Processed Microlot

Stopping in at Bard Coffee I had planned on getting an americano because I like a robust cup of joe and I can't make americanos at home. But when I saw the description of this bean on the single origins menu, I had to try it because I've never had a honey-processed coffee bean. FYI: Most of the title is just describing the origin.

Now I knew I was in for something far from robust because of the honey and central american origins, but please don't think this is a silly artificially flavored coffee. The honey here isn't making a sugar sweet note actually but making the body round and working against the acidity. There is a slight honey taste as well. More noticeable on the palate is the clean Costa Rica bean though. Still strong in the coffee taste.

The taste followed through with the title in being your not so average cup-o-joe. It's not a bean I'd like to have a stash of at home all the time because I'm actually a fan of certain hues of coffee acid and smoky suggestions. I'ts a solid B (good) on my taste scale and I highly recommend to people who get stomach aches from coffee.

Bard Coffee Honduras Marcala Dark

You know you're in an ok cafe when the barista knows the difference between a latte and a cappuccino. At Bard Coffee on Middle St in the Old Port of Portland, ME, every employee can tell you the difference between the different beans in ways beyond which one is darker. It's a great cafe. Today I have a cup of one of their single origin coffees, the Honduras Marcala Dark.

When most think of 'dark' they think of a french roast, this is different from that. Tackling the difference in adjectives between the two has been quite hard. The marcala dark is smoky in a clean way unlike french roasts, another way I'd put it is almost woody. The single origin of the beans also come through with notes of caramel on the back of the tongue. It's also only medium bodied with little acidity which works with the palate very well.

If you fee like exploring your darker side of coffee smoothly this is a fine choice and it's a B (good) in my book. Bard Coffee isn't just a place of a fine form of caffination though, it's also place of community. Those that want to get to know the fine city of Portland should check it out.