All good things must come to an end my friends, and thus I bring you to my last beer at our last stop on our Father’s Day Pub Crawl,2016. This was Alpine Captain’s Stout, and I enjoyed it at the Porter Beer Bar, right around the corner from The Vortex (second stop) and The Wrecking Bar (first stop). The Porter has more than 50 taps pouring most of the time, and they claim to have over 800 different beers total including bottles. While they don’t have as many taps (about half) of a typical Taco Mac, there selection is more refined and their cuisine more upscale. They do interesting things, too; when we were there they had Creature Comforts Tropicalia IPA in a slushy machine.

Back to the beer I am here to talk about though, the Alpine Captain’s Stout. This is only the second beer I’ve had from Alpine, mostly because their prices are unreasonable. Most beers from them in the bottle run around $10 for a half liter bottle, which is just crazy. The one beer I have picked up from them was Hoppy Birthday, a session IPA, and expensive at that too at $13.99 a six-pack. Captain Stout was the first draft beer I’ve seen from Alpine, so I went for it.

Here’s what Alpine says about Captain Stout on their website:

A Chocolate Oatmeal Dry Stout The Captain is leader of a fire crew. This beer takes charge of your taste buds with its rich flavor. Roasty malt character that has hints of chocolate and coffee which balances the smooth, velvety finish. The thick, creamy head lasts and lasts, leaving lace in your glass as your beer disappears. This beer pairs well with food. Great with dinner or as breakfast or even with a rich vanilla-bean ice cream.

Alpine Captain’s Stout has an alcohol content of 6% by volume with 31 IBUs. And yes, it was more expensive than the norm at $7.25 for a pint. I am not sure if this beer is sold in bottles (I’ve never seen it that way); it may be a draft only nitro pour beer.

My pint glass of Alpine Captain Stout arrived jet black in color with a thick creamy tan head of foam and deep pine and roast in the nose. Taking a sip, the beer is smooth and creamy in the palate off the nitro pour, with vibrant notes of chocolate, roasted barley, coffee, a hint of phenols and a dry roasty finish.

This was a tasty beer indeed, and while I enjoyed it (and appreciated the fact the bartender sold me the Alpine logo glass for $4), I’m again reminded that there are a lot of beers that are just as good for less money. For that reason, I probably would not buy the Captain Stout again. Half star demerit for that price as well.