Sandy Paws (2010)
Heater Allen Brewing

Sandy Paws (2010)Sandy Paws (2010)
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From:
Heater Allen Brewing
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Baltic Porter
ABV:
6.25%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.96 | pDev: 10.1%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
11
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 31, 2013
Added:
Nov 15, 2010
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by olmatty:
Photo of olmatty
Reviewed by olmatty from Oregon

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance-Pours a deep black beer with a huge, foamy,tan head.

Smell- Quite light smell. A hint of creaminess and a whiff of chocolate.

Taste-Very chocolatey up front, roasty malt middle with some molasses and a bitter, but balanced finish.

Mouthfeel-Moderately heavy body, smooth middling carbonation.

Drinkability-Smooth and easy drinking Baltic. Perhaps that's due to ABV on the low side for style. Quite tasty and borderline sessionable.
Nov 27, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by artoolemomo from Oregon

Mar 31, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by t0rin0 from California

Oct 14, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by Seantronz3030 from Washington

Nov 17, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by HuskyinPDX from Washington

Nov 16, 2011
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

3.97/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle as an extra from Paul. Always good to try something new from Oregon. Thanks!

A: This one pours a very dark amber color, sort of a brownish copper, with a khaki colored head.

S: Very heavy on the toffee, with a real nuttiness about the beer. Quite creamy and toasty with just a hint of roasted malt. Maybe a touch of chocolate, brown sugar, and molasses.

T: Nicely toasty with plenty of caramelized sugar flavor and solid toffee. A hint of coffee as well as minimal roasted malt flavor. Intensely nutty with a solid creaminess that is prevalent throughout the time I drank my glass of this. Just an ever so slight bitterness.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: Very different from other Baltic Porters that I've had. Not a ton of roast, but really quite enjoyable.
Mar 01, 2011
Photo of Gobzilla
Reviewed by Gobzilla from California

3.8/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: poured a dark amber brown in color with brown highlights and had a two finger khaki head leaving lots of lacing sticking to the glass.

S: I got some toffee, brown sugar, chocolate notes upfront on the nose with oat grians and a hints of coffee.

T: chocolate and toffee were also dominating the taste alongside oat grains, mild lacto milky, sweet malty accents and a touch of booze.

M: the brew was mdium to full in body with a good amount of carbonation which had a sweet, lacto milky, grainy, and creamy finish.

D: it was drinking good and to me had a little bit more body than your average porter but just was average in flavor.
Feb 25, 2011
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
1/1/2011

Thanks for the bottle, Luke. Poured into a Bruery snifter.

A: Appears black and the vigorous pour generates a large beige head that exhibits good retention and leaves a thick sheet of lacing on the sides of the glass.

A: Malt profile is moderately roasted and toasted with some earthy hops, a dash of coffee and chocolate, and evident smoke character, which took me by surprise. Dark fruit notes are very faint. I detect a nutty quality lurking beneath the roast. Smells a bit like an English brown. As the beer opens up the dark fruit notes become more pronounced, but they're still in the background.

T: Toasted bread and roasted malt, and dry on the palate. A dash of caramel sweetness midpalate, with some dried fruit notes and an ephemeral coffee character that transforms back into roasted and toasted malts. Bitterness is at an upper low level, and there's some chocolate, though it's hardly the focus. The finish is dry, earthy, and malt focused.

M: Upper medium body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is smooth, dry, and sticky.

Overall: This is a very drinkable and refreshing Baltic Porter. Definitely worth a try.
Jan 02, 2011
Photo of chumba526
Reviewed by chumba526 from Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appears close to pitch black with a small tan brown head.

It smells like roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, mild coffee and a bit of a citrus lemon like smell to it. The smell is fairly strong and nice.

It tastes initially slightly chocolate like. There is also a slight mild coffee flavor to it. This roasted malt flavor is balanced nicely with malty caramel flavor. There is a nice mild cinnamon and lemon like flavor as well. The beer finishes a very mild nice bitterness. This beer has a great balance. Unlike many Baltic porters this one is not too sweet. This is one of the best Baltic porters I have tries.

The carbonation is moderate low. It has a smooth mouth feel to it.
The drinkability of this porter is quite good. I could drink a few of these.

Like always Heater Allen does not disappoint. This Baltic porter is smooth yet it is exciting flavor wise. Overall a great seasonal that is worth searching for.
Dec 28, 2010
Photo of Jwale73
Reviewed by Jwale73 from Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to jdiddy for breaking this one out. Pours a deep claret color with no head, just a cluster of bubbles and a skim. Nose expresses dark fruit (slightly vinous) and bubblegum. Taste follows nose, with a big roasty character and coffee notes expressed in the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is light-medium with a carbonation level that falls just short of lively. All and all, this is a very drinkable and flavorful Baltic Porter. Not the biggest and best example of the style, but quite respectable and well worth your time if the opportunity presents.
Dec 18, 2010
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
The fourth installment in Heater Allen's annual 'Sandy Paws' series of 'holiday gifts' for us local beer-lovers; they're a varying assortment of fine ales and lagers (although this is the second Baltic Porter in 4 years). A 22 oz. bottle poured to a pint glass.

This year's label (red with framing evergreen sprigs) features 'Cilie', a black labradoodle owned by Bill Sweat and Donna Morris, as the cover dog...

A: Deep, dark brown pour - murkier and rather opaque even in strong light. Ruby and auburn highlights lend some color. Decent head, a tight dollop of khaki (1/2 finger or so) that falls back to a filmy splotch a slim ring. Bits and pieces of lace, but nothing really holds.

S: Sweet malt and a spiced/brown sugar oatmeal graininess. A little roast notes and something like maple or fruit jam. Fair strength.

T: Lots of bakers chocolate and cocoa dust, quite dry and zesty right away. Caramel sweetness shows a dark side, a reduction that's less sugary and closer to 'burnt'. Big, brazen spicing in the finish, one that dries and offsets the maltiness with earthy bittering. Brief metallic notes.

M: A little biting sharpness up front, but a generally smooth and creamy body from then on. Carbonation is small and feel grows gradually as it coats a little more with each sip.

D: Modest strength and good flavor, another well-crafted treat from this small (but gradually expanding) Willamette Valley brewery. Not too much hits the shelves and it won't last too long past the Holidays, so do yourself a favor and snag a couple bottles before they're gone.
Dec 13, 2010
Sandy Paws (2010) from Heater Allen Brewing
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 11 ratings