A long time ago a candy company spent millions of dollars in advertising to convince people of one idea: that chocolate and peanut butter were “two great tastes that taste great together”. And while people couldn’t decide if someone got peanut butter in someone’s chocolate or visa versa, they had no problem agreeing that indeed, they make an awesome combination.
Fast forward to today and that belief still holds true. Peanut butter and chocolate do make a great tandem. And since chocolate is a very common flavor in certain beers, it was only a matter of time before some adventurous brewer pulled a jar of Skippy out of the kitchen cabinet one morning and thought “Hey, I wonder……” Searching the internet shows that peanut butter and beer is not a unique concept, plenty of breweries have tried it. But when I caught wind that the guys at DuClaw were brewing one, well I kept my eye open on the beer shelves. And when one day recently I did indeed find it sitting on Stateline’s shelf, well as my buddy Chuck would say, “Ya Gotsta!” Let’s taste.
THEM : HERO CaPBP starts with an impressive grain bill of pale, crystal, brown, chocolate and black malts. Roasted barley and peanut butter are also added. Fuggles and Golding hops are used with the IBUs coming in at 53. The ABV finishes about 6.5% according to the spec sheet (although my bottle simply said 6%), from an original gravity of 16 plato.
ME : HERO CaPBP pours, with a nice creamy head which dissipates into a solid thin lace across the glass. The nose carries a roastiness with a hint of coffee. The flavor up front is actually clean, I wasn’t getting a lot there. Then it turns into a slight creaminess in the middle that at first doesn’t really taste like anything, but after a few sips the peanut butter starts to become apparent. Hero finishes with touch of chocolate with a hint of roasted grain.
As the beer warmed up, and I had a few more sips, the peanut butter started to become more apparent in both the nose and flavor. I would recommend not serving this beer to cold. It’s an amazing symphony of subtle flavors and aromas and to over chill this beer would be to do it a huge injustice. This is a beer that at a bar I’d order two, and drink one while the second warmed up to really show off all that it has to offer.
The beer is a product of DuClaw’s H.E.R.O. homebrew contest. The winning recipe came from Tony Huckestein and Doug DeLeo (congrats guys!) and all the proceeds go to the Cool Kids Campaign to aid the creation of their Learning Center for children battling cancer. As I’ve said before, great beer and helping a great cause – you can’t go wrong!
So next time you see a commercial that gets you in the mood for a little PB & C, hop in your car – but drive past the candy store. Pick a bottle of this awesome beer up and you won’t care who got the peanut butter in the chocolate, you’ll just be glad they did.
Time for another beer!
The Dogs of Beer 
Oh how I remember those peanut butter chocolate commercials. I will go to State line and try this out. Good tip on the propper serving temp. Too cold of a beer can really leave the wrong impression.
Patrick – thanks for the comment. My bottle was chilled in the fridge, so for normal beer it wasn’t “to cold”. But for this beer, I do think you want it a little warmer. Looking forward to your future blog entries!
Ed – tDoB