Lordy, lordy, look who’s forty! None other than the Taco Mac chain of sports bars. I could tell you about their origins, but why duplicate efforts? From the Taco Mac website:
It all started back in 1979 when a couple of guys from Buffalo, NY, made a pit stop in Atlanta on their way to Florida. After touring the city and enjoying the weather, they decided to stay and bring their favorite food, buffalo wings, to the sunny South.
The perfect location was found, but with limited funds remaining, a decision had to be made – renovate the kitchen or change the sign out front? The kitchen won and the Mexican-Irish-sounding name, Taco Mac, remained. Before long, other Buffalo natives came down to help the guys introduce Atlanta to Buffalo-style chicken wings.
So, 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the Taco Mac chain, now with locations in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Almost every location offers at least 100 taps in addition to their legendary wings and pub fare. A plethora of TV screens provide access to any game you might want to watch.
As a prelude to their anniversary, Taco Mac has partnered with the Wild Leap Brewing Company of La Grange, Georgia to offer beer lovers the ’79 Series of draft only beers, exclusively at Taco Mac. I enjoyed the first release, Wild Leap ’79 Series Cranberry Cinnamon Ale, in late October. The second beer in the series, Wild Leap ’79 Series Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter crossed my path in late December (the 20th to be exact).
Wild Leap says:
The second installment of the ’79 Series is a Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter, featuring liquid coco and roasted peanuts, for a rich chocolate flavor.
Wild Leap ’79 Series Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter has an alcohol content of 8.4% by volume with 38 IBUs. I paid $7 for my 23-ounce mug. My only quibble about the first release was the price, which was $1.25 higher for a lower strength beer. Glad to see this one a bit more reasonable.
My mug of Wild Leap ’79 Series Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter arrived a dark black (but not jet black) color with moderate sized head of tan foam and a nutty chocolaty nose. Taking a sip, I got a smooth dark malty palate with more chocolate and creamy peanut butter notes, all balanced with a nutty roasty finish.
Once again, I'll say that peanut butter just does not come through for me in these peanut butter cup beers. Still, the peanuts definitely do here, and they are nicely combined with the chocolate notes.
Definitely a beer I would buy again, if I ever get the chance.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, canned
(D)=Draft