Oddly enough—I didn’t plan it—it seems that March 1 is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, and my latest article for The Bulletin is out and the topic is peanut butter beer, featuring Wild Ride Brewing’s Nut Crusher Peanut Butter Porter. So I guess if you like peanut butter, grab a bottle and read along?

Nearly all peanut butter beers are based on darker styles, typically porters and stouts. The dark malts of these beers play well with the roasted, nutty character of peanuts, and many brewers opt to create stronger and sweeter versions (think chocolate peanut butter cups).

At 6% alcohol by volume, Wild Ride’s Nut Crusher emphasizes the peanut character rather than sweeter chocolate notes. It was first brewed in late 2015 as a winter seasonal, and its popularity spurred the brewery to release it year-round. I reached out to Wild Ride to learn more, and owner Brian Mitchell responded via email.

“From the beginning of Wild Ride there was always talk about brewing a peanut butter porter,” Mitchell said. “Heading into our second winter of operation, we thought it would be a good time to brew and release it, as it would certainly be a unique beer style released in Central Oregon.”

Peanut butter is notoriously a difficult ingredient to brew with, due to the natural oils in peanuts. These fats interfere with carbonation and can create a viscous, unpleasant mouthfeel. To reduce or eliminate the oil contribution, brewers often add peanut butter powder or extract, rather than nuts. Another method purported to work is lautering (straining) the beer through a layer of peanut shells.

You’ll have to go read the rest of the article to find out how they brew it, and read my review of the beer.

As a bonus, I also drank and reviewed two other peanut butter beers, Lost Coast Brewery’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout and Belching Beaver Brewing’s Peanut Butter Milk Stout. You can see what I think there as well, and how they stand up to each other.