Last winter, while the Brooklyn brewing team sat around a peat fire drinking some inspirational drinks, brewer Tom Price mentioned that his friend’s bakery made some very fine oatmeal cookies. Before long, we were all talking about oatmeal cookies and how good they are with beer. Pretty soon we’d somehow decided that the cookies should actually become a beer. Funny, the things people come up with while drinking in front of a good fire.

Of course, oatmeal in beer isn’t a new idea. For centuries brewers have added oats to the mash, giving the resulting beers – usually stouts – silky smooth textures. But how best to create the flavors we had in mind? Out in Jersey City (NYC’s 6th borough), Tom’s friends at Feed Your Soul Bakery make some of the tastiest oatmeal cookies we’ve ever had. After talking to the bakers (and eating a lot of cookies), we brewed a beer from floor-malted barley malt, golden oats, raisins, brown sugar, honey, vanilla beans and a subtle dash of spice.

Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter brings all these flavors together with light chocolate, coffee and caramel flavors to create a beer that will warm up the coldest nights, even if you don’t have a peat fire. It’s very nice by itself, but perhaps even better with roasted pork, barbecue, or traditional Mexican mole dishes. Or, of course, some oatmeal cookies and ice cream.