Elysian Brewery's Perseus Porter

            Pullman, Washington is a rather humble college town nestled in the gently rolling terrain of the Palouse. Choices for fine dining can be counted, more or less, on one hand. Still, the college draws great minds and budding prodigies alike, and some of them know how to cook a hell of a steak.

    One of these steak masters opened The Black Cypress, a restaurant that has established itself quickly as one of the best dining experiences in the region. Here is a review, if you happen to be interested. Anyway, the thing about The Black Cypress that is pertinent to this blog is that they have microbrews on tap; hole-ly-crap, pour me one! For my beer of the evening, I chose the Elysian Brewing Company's Perseus Porter. This Seattle-area brewery has truly created a symphony of deliciousness in their rich brew.

   The porter is a dark, black beer, almost obsidian, but the bubbles of the minute head are an appealing coffee brown. The Cypress is a cozily lighted restaurant, so the beer may have seemed a darker black than it truly was. Regardless, the beer has a dampened, dull sort of brewery smell. It is gentle, yet promising; inviting you to a smooth ride. In fact, the attitude of the beer's smell is similar, in a way, to the flavor of it.

   First contact with the Perseus Porter is calm, and the initial carbonation lacks any sort of aggressive nature. This makes the brew smooth from start to finish, and you become relaxed as you continue to drink.

The smoothness of the brew as it passes along the tongue melds almost imperceptibly to a sweetly bitter body. Its a smooth sort of both flavors, combined together in an equal union. The flavors do not confront you, so much as they pass calmly by like veterans in a small-town parade. 

Following the lingering semi-sweetness of the body, an aftertaste of coffee gently finishes out the brew. Depending on what you are eating, the coffee taste can transform into more of a dark chocolate flavor and then back again.

Altogether, the Elysian Porter is a delicious beer, and it stands as an excellent example of the brilliant Seattle brewing community. So if you happen to get a chance to try a frosty brew of this Perseus Porter: take it.