Oakshire Big Black Jack Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter: Brewed in Eugene, OR at a strength of 7.5% abv, I saw a few good reviews for this single batch release on twitter so I thought it was worth seeking  a bottle out on my last trip to Oregon. Chocolate pumpkin porters have become one of my favourite versions of pumpkin beers, the chocolate goes so well with the spices and tones down any over spicing that sometimes occurs.

Flavour: It starts with more chocolate and very dark roasted espresso, with some mild pumpkin and a bit of smokey ash in the middle finally settling into the nutmeg and a dry cocoa powder bitter finish.

Overall Impression: Pretty good stuff, creative use of pumpkin in that it is there but doesn’t overwhelm.

Rating: I gave it a solid very good rating of 7/10,  it’s a good fall variant so to speak.

Food Pairing: To complement this beer and it’s finish I suggest pairing it with homemade chocolate truffles. They are super easy to make, here’s a a recipe if you need one, it’s really just cooled ganache rolled into cocoa powder to make them into truffles.

I found a video they made a couple years back showcasing the making of their LED signs that go into local bars and such, great local focus and very cool signs.