Another fantastic community beer story: The cool folks at Foothills Brewing released a limited bottle run of their Gold & Silver medal winning beer Baltic Porter on the same day in just two places – Sam’s Quik Shop in Durham and their brewery in Winston-Salem. And it wasn’t just any day – they released it on the 5th anniversary of the Pop the Cap initiative. The color is a perfect deep brown, with very little black, and a nice creamy, brown head. With 9 percent alcohol and 51.7 IBUs, this is a toasty, desert beer. Another Umami flavor, with a lot of malt that Foothills didn’t kill off with too much hops. The mouthfeel is thick, without being heavy. There’s much more of big, brown ale here, a favorite style of mine, then necessarily porter. Don’t ask me why, maybe the roast has less of the amber highlights and biscuit background of a porter. The alcohol gives it the baltic sense. Just imagine a great steak beer and then amp it up. The flavor isn’t aggressive but is full of molasses, toast and caramel. While this could make a lot of meals great, my preference is to enjoy it as a standalone beer. Sitting on my patio watching the light move to twilight, I’m sorry there is just one bottle because it is the perfect complement for a sunset. If you’re lucky enough to find a bottle, serve it at cellar temperature and watch for some sediment.