I know I’m late to the party, but I finally broke down and bought Saint Arnold Icon Blue. The coffee porter has received a ton of positive publicity over the last month or two, so I had to seek it out.
When they say coffee porter, they mean a perfectly balanced porter with rich coffee flavor. The espresso beans that are so heavily added in the brew give it a uniqueness that is unlike most other porters. Normally, a brewery will use roasted beans to add the coffee flavor, but in this case, a ground espresso blend from Houston-based roasters Java Pura was used instead.
Porters often times will use a dark brown malt that can give you the coffee taste from time to time. Saint Arnold went another way by using Bravo and Willamette hops in addition to the coffee to give it the perfect amount of bitterness that most coffee drinkers will appreciate.
The Saint Arnold Icon series has consistently produced solid beers. This one is one of the best versions produced. I was a fan of the Icon Red roggenbier produced prior to this brew, but this one tops it by a large margin. Grab this limited run beer while it’s still cool outside and enjoy the first six-pack produced in the Icon series.