Elves Elixir 2016
Town Hall Brewery

a tasty and well made baltic porter here, not sure if 2017 is any different from 2016, or if it was 2016 i was drinking all along, but the beer is very good and tastes fresh to me. we dont see enough baltic porter out there in the american craft universe, so its always nice to find a good one like this, although despite the name, it doesnt seem particularly festive or anything to me, no obvious spices or additions to make it a holiday beer, but i like seasonal offerings with a little more staying power, nobody wants to drink a christmas beer in january, at least thats what they say... this is smooth and rich, huge bodied with notes of vanilla and cocoa, and even wood and brandy, but its not at all sweet, i can taste and appreciate the yeast, and it is velvety in texture, round and soft feeling without much carbonation, unique in flavor though for sure, and really true to style. the alcohol is sleepy on it too, like it drinks a lot lighter than its listed, and its not even a little bit warm in the drink, sneaky, look out! good roasty bitterness to it and a coffee note right before the finish. excellent take on the style, but the holiday aspect of this was lost on me a little bit...

Look: Pours a nearly opaque dark brown with some head and lacing
Smell: Roast, coffee, toasted dark malt
Taste: Similar to smell with some vanilla undertones
Feel: Medium carbonation, not too heavy or sticky
Overall: Solid Baltic Porter