Le Baltique
Town Hall Brewery

750 mL growler. Black body with a touch of transparency around the edges. Smells of strong red wine and roasted malt. Tastes of very intense red wine. Almost acidic red wine. Oak. A bit of roasted malt with a coffee and red wine finish. Medium body. It’s all red wine.

Poured from 750ml growler into glass. Cap is dated '2.23.17'.
Opaque, black colored body. Fizzy light tan head dissipates quickly to tiny bubble fed ring. A few spots of lacing.
Aroma of very dark malt, a little char, dark chocolate, and dark fruits, with lots of red wine barrel and oak.
Taste is influenced in all aspects by the red wine/oak barrel. Has dark malts, dark fruits like raisin and prune, dark chocolate and molasses, with just a whiff of coffee and vanilla.
Medium mouth feel, red wine vinegary, and quite dry.
A whole lot of flavors here, but the red wine barrel is there is every nook and corner. Quite a delicious take on the style.

another gem from these guys, man they kill it with the barrel aged stuff. this is a red wine barrel aged baltic porter, and a mighty fine one. not sure i have seen this combination of style and barrel treatment before, but the results are impressive. very dark in color, not as thick as some though, and without much head on top. aroma immediately suggests its pretty mature, slight oxidation, oak and wine tannins, an ancient lager yeast, and all kinds of dark fruit notes from the combination of the wine and the dark malts, cranberry and blackberry come to mind, also a sweet raisin complexion, really appetizing. the flavor begins with the malts first, subtle stale coffee, barrel char and dark grain together, with the fruity wine coming next, almost syrupy and sweet as it comes through, slightly tannic, how long was this aged? the beer is just sturdy enough to hold up to the wine and wood in the flavor, but its a precarious balance, with the wine wanting to take over. dark chocolate and raisin and plum or prune at the end, smooth, but not obviously a lager to me anymore. really delicious and intense beer, i like the wine with the dark grains, very unique. town hall doesnt miss.

Impenetrable darkness, with a swift brown head, gone in a blink.

Aromatics: getting the wine barrels notes first. A little twisted and funky, Slightly vinegar-y. Raisins, dates, port wine. I love it. You don't get this in a beer every day, now, do you.

In the mouth: Weird stuff coming down the pike. Just a little hot and boozy at first, then the oak, then the wine, along come the tannins, dark fruits, cocoa, molasses, ....So, Baltic Porter in a French oak red wine barrel. (I've since peeked up at the notes, to remind me of what I'm drinking here.) Increasingly tasty, and rapidly delicious. Just a little hot, but the right kind of tasty, boozy heat. It's a perfect nightcap, just what I need on a cold February night. Creeping sweetness, continually smooth, evolving complexity...rather rich and decidedly delicious.

(Re-review 2/24/17, original score 4.12).

Arrives an opaque black color. The head is a quarter inch in height, and sticks around awhile. The aroma is of cocoa with a sour, fruity thing that is quite odd. The taste is a real mess. Astringent, slightly sour, too fruity for a Baltic Porter. The mouthfeel is full bodied and chewy. Overall, this beer is not good. Red wine barrels are not a good match for a dark beer.

 

 

 

 

A lot of tannic grip from the barrels. Anise, currants, plums, all come through as promised with the cocoa / molasses far more subtle. The wine is strong here, well integrated, almost giving this a dry port flavor.

 

 

On tap at the brewpub. Served in a 10 oz. chalice.

Appearance: Color is jet black. Moderate amount of bubbles and a slight finger of tan head that settles into a creamy layer.

Smell: A roasty and fruity dark malt forward aroma with a scent of chocolate, red wine, and dark fruit. Dark roasted barley malt with hints of dark chocolate, coffee, toast, smoke, and yeast. Solid barrel presence with hints of red wine grapes, oak, and tannins. Sweet hints of vanilla and sugar. Dark fruit hints of cherry, raisin, and prune. A very solid smell.

Taste: Like the aroma previews, a roasty, fruity, and fairly sweet dark taste with notes of chocolate, red wine, and dark fruit. Dark roasted barley malt with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, smoke, biscuit, and yeast. Good red wine presence with some notes of grapes, oak, and tannins. Dark fruit undertones of cherry, raisin, and prune. Also some notes of vanilla, molasses, and leather. A very nice taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Creamy, slick, and somewhat syrupy. Alcohol is masked well.

Overall: A really good twist on a Baltic Porter. Solid smokey dark malt taste with a nice kick of red wine notes.