Erie Brewing turns out a superb product mix, including Railbender Scottish Ale, Mad Anthony's American Pale Ale, and Presque Isle Pilsner. The brewery's product naming celebrates Pennsylvania's history, particularly the people and places involved. Their current seasonal, Drake's Crude Oatmeal Imperial Stout, takes its name from Edwin Drake — as in Drake's Folly for all the history smarty pantses — the first guy to successfully drill oil in Northwest Pennsylvania.
Drake's Crude Oatmeal Imperial Stout definitely lives up to its gooey industrial nomenclature. As it pours into an American pint glass, the bulky black body supports a frothy cap of khaki head that reduces to a thin layer of diverse sized bubbles.
This article appears in Mar 4-10, 2009.