Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Diablo II with Stone Smoked Porter

Like any man in his mid-twenties, I love me some Diablo II. I have played it on and off since it was first released, and while it's rarely much fun, I never get tired of it. Having moved from Philadelphia back to my sweet hometown of Chicago a couple of months ago, I have started to occasionally play the game online with a couple of my good friends out on the east coast. We don't have great conversations when playing, but in some ways it's a pretty good way for us to stay in touch. We planned to play last Sunday, and in preparation, I bought a 22oz. bottle of Stone Brewing Company's Smoked Porter, which I poured into a glass mug.Perhaps it was an obvious choice, but many classic pairings are. As we descended through the depths of hell to the Chaos Sanctuary, the subtle smokiness of the beer made me feel as if I was really on Diablo's doorstep. The deep caramel and dark fruit flavors were as delicious as the vengeance that my dual-wielding sword barbarian (named "DoubleTrouble") laid down upon the minions of the Lord of Terror. A sturdy hop bitterness was similarly appropriate to our terrible mission. I strongly recommend this pairing. Alternative pairings for Diablo II are Rochefort 10, large quantities of English mild ales, Jagermeister, peaty single malt Scotches, or any bold Italian red.

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