Make something out of nothing

The world is cluttered with mediocrity, when good enough can quickly become great thanks to overzealous fans, Likes and Google+ buttons. 

Case in point is Peanut Butter Cup Porter, a popular seasonal beer from Karl Strauss Brewing Co. I've had many a beer and tasted my share of exotics, but had never heard of the candy-bar mashup until a stop at Breakwater Brewing Co. in Oceanside, Calif.  

After starting with a solid Old Blue Eyes American Ale, I was ready to close with BB's Biere du Jour on the recommendation of the seasoned skateboarder sitting next to me at the bar. That was until my eyes spied the Peanut Butter Cup Porter pull handle in front of me. 

A tasty variation of Karl Strauss Peanut Butter Cup Porter served at Breakwater Brewing in Oceanside, Calif.The woman bartender told me it that while it wasn't one of her favorites, it was more popular than you can imagine. She poured me a sample and … I can't recall a more disappointing beer. Instead of a mouthful of warm flavors melting in my mouth, I was left with …. nothing. Nothing good, nothing bad. Just meh. 

I shared my thoughts with the bartender, who was not surprised, and she replied, "I've got my own twist on it that I think pulls out the flavor. Want to give it a try?" 

Sure! 

People go into bars to escape, so to speak, and good bartenders are tour guides who take you off into the memorable places off the beaten path. So I watched in passive obedience as she rimmed the inside lip of a pint glass with a grape jellylike syrup, dipped the rim into peanut powder then slowly filled the glass with the porter. 

It wasn't the prettiest of presentations but the taste was 180 degrees from where I had started. The porter suddenly came to life with a beer that was tasty, complex and, most importantly, memorable. 

It's easy to create average products. It's harder to create great products. But it's really hard to create memorable products. Thank heavens there are people in the world who make it their mission to create memories. Karl Strauss probably won't be a stop on my next trip to San Diego. But Breakwater Brewing WILL be a stop on the way down.