Presidential-style fermentation

A month or so ago while I was roaming the aisles of Total Wine after work one day (as I often do), I saw this bottle on the shelf.  AHHHHH-HA!  Perfect.  While it broke my price per bomber rule of thumb (i.e. more than $10 for a bomber is too much unless it is a gift), I grabbed it with the intent to put this little gem in the closet and drink it during one of the upcoming debates. 


According to the CEO of DC Brau, the name of the beer "commemorates the fact that D.C. residents have no say in Congress, and Utah beer drinkers feel they have little say in its Mormon-dominated state legislature."  According to Epic's outside sales manager, "Utah’s beer tax amounts to a 72 percent markup and 'strong' beers — those over 4 percent alcohol by volume — can only be sold through Utah’s state store system."

Fermentation Without Representation - Imperial Pumpkin Porter (8% ABV)
Epic Brewing and DC Brau Brewing
Salt Lake City, Utah and Washington D.C.

I read somewhere that this beer is made with 200 pounds of real pumpkin per batch and that the breweries hand cut a bazillion vanilla beans by hand to throw in the batch.  Talk about labor intensive.  Perhaps that's why they wanted $13.99 for a bomber. 

I was a little intimidated by the combination of an imperial porter and a pumpkin porter but wow, the amount of flavor that these two brewers managed to cram into one glass of this beer is quite outstanding.  The pumpkin, the spice, the sweet, the chocolate (?) and then there is still somehow a clean and dry finish at the end of each sip.  It is a little boozy tasting at first but that decreases as the beer warms slightly.  All in all, this is one awesome beer.


Recommendations: If you like porters and pumpkin-flavored beers, then you should buy two or three of these when/if you see them for sale.  Save it for a nice chilly evening.

Score: 5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system