Amager RugporterThe Danish island of Amager contains Copenhahgen’s airport, part of the city, a monolithic bridge to Sweden and practically nothing else, except for a small craft brewery whose work is beginning to find its way to rust belt cities in the United States.

The cask handle for Amager Bryghus Rug Porter (Rye Porter), beckoned to me from the moment I sat down at the Tap and Mallet’s bar, directly in front of it. It’s an aunexpected find and demonstrates Bar Manager Chris Schultheis continued commitment to finding the unsusual and the excellent.

The cask method of serving is unusual for a beer of this type, but it works with the silky quality imparted by the rug (rye). The unexpectedly gentle carbonation gives the beer a slight metallic bite and allows the flavors to gently introduce themselves instead of crashing into your taste buds.

A thick mouthfeel blossoms into flavors of fig and date, coating the palate in a dark fruity smoothness before receding to a sharp hop slap at the back of the tongue.

All the while your nose is tickled by a highly intense, alluring sweet/sour aroma reminiscent of an imperial stout, and at 8.5% ABV, the Rugporter has the muscle to match some beers of that style. Those reasonable, rational Danes got it right again: Amager Rugporter is another excellent beer from the capital of the European Craft Beer Movement.

-Mark

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