New beer of the day:  Midnight Sessions Lager

Brewed by:  Port Brewing Company

Beer drinkers all over Chicago land rejoiced when Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey hit the shelves here for the first time this past winter.  If you haven’t had the chance to try any of their products yet, you are seriously missing out on one of the premier American micro breweries.  This brewery is interesting:  They make beers under the “Port Brewing” name, and under the “Lost Abbey” name.  Although The Lost Abbey and Port Brewing are seperate projects, they were founded by the same owners and brewers.  The Port Bottles are 22oz, while the Lost Abbey bottles are 750ml.  The beers under the “Port” label are for the most part are American in style, while the “Lost Abbey” line is focused on the Belgian styles.

Midnight Sessions is the latest beer to hit shelves from Port Brewing, and was released a few weeks ago.  It is a limited release, so get it while supplies last!  If you are searching for this beer on any of the beer websites, you probably won't find it.  This is because on this batch they changed the name of the beer from "Moonlit Sessions" to "Midnight Sessions."

"Schwarzbier" is German for "black beer," and Midnight Sessions fits perfectly into this category.  I poured it up and my glass was full of pitch black liquid with a creamy coffee colored head.  The beer smells like coffee and roasted malts, with a bit of a sweetness to go along.  Midnight Sessions tastes of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malts.  It is medium bodied with a high drinkability.  At 5% ABV and $5.99 a bomber, and just like the name of the beer implies, Midnight Sessions has potential to be a great session beer. The finish is bitter sweet and dry, just like any first-class beer of this style should be.  This beer could contend with any Irish dry stout, and is a great pick up for St. Patrick’s Day.  Port Brewing and the Lost Abbey have yet to let me down, and Midnight Sessions is no exception.