The Troegs fall seasonal offering before Mad Elf is Dead Reckoning. I have been told by a source at the brewery that this hoppy porter is now (after the death of the nut brown ale) the lowest selling beer from the brewery. Upon pouring the bottle into a pint glass a strong two finger eggshell tinted head forms and leaves a strong lacing on the glass as it settles into a thin band. The beer is black with deep hints when placed in direct light. There is a mixture of hop aromas and strong malty hints with every smell. This beer comes in at 53 ibu’s and uses Chinook and vanguard hops. Dead reckoning tastes first of strong citrus hops and then the hops are washed away with the porter maltiness. I taste faint hints of coffee and bitter chocolate, but the hops come back at the end to mingle and muddle the malt flavors. DR was thinner than I remembered and at 5.4% alcohol is a good drinkable beer. Its a shame that DRP is the least selling beer at Troegs as it is a unique and flavorful beer that I would take over the not so unique and flavorful Java Head Stout any day.
Overall I give Dead Reckoning a B+ not just for taste and originality but for time of release. I do not think this thinner hoppy porter would work released any other time of year. As the leaves start to turn and the days shorten DRP will get me ready for bigger stouts and porters while remembering the big hop bombs I drank all summer!
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