Stygian Tide Porter
Old Schoolhouse Brewery

Very dark brown, near black, with abundant dark beige foam in the goblet. Creamy mouthfeel and a sturdy body. Malty taste with medium sweetness. Very dark roasted malt flavor with burnt sugar finish. Notes of cocoa, raisins, and dates with a bitter aftertaste. This is a very good Baltic Porter with loads of flavor with savoring. From the 16 oz can purchased at Skagit Valley Coop. Not dated.

 

12oz "can glass" pour, for probably somewhere between $7-8, at the downtown Spokane Flatstick Pub.

Virtually black color upon arrival. Very slightly brown looking when held up to light. Decent sized beige colored head. Lots of lace.

Nutty, toasty, chocolatey nose, in that order.

The nuttiness noted above is quite brash when it hits the taste buds. It's easily the strongest flavor element of the beer. Chocolatey sweetness follows hard upon. There's a bit of coffee in the background, but it's definitely coffee with sugar and creamer. Finishes how it started: sweet and nutty.

Body somewhere between medium and full, with a silky mouth feel.

More of a dessert beer than I was expecting, and a good one. The abv doesn't stick out, but it's rather filling, so it's a one and done for me. On a subsequent occasion, I'd be happy to hit this again, but only as an ending.

Poured from 16oz can into a dimpled mug.

Appearance: totally black hue with a finger of frothy tan foam atop; dark and mysterious. Capital!

Smell: quite yeasty, with a light chocolate element, and what I percieve to be a little bit of a vegetal hop character. The yeast gives it a definite lagery character, but there doesn’t seem to be a ton of complexity here.

Taste: relatively sweet malt with more of that yeastiness, but also a light but smooth chocolate flavor and a little bit of the dark fruitiness that I like in the style. Some of that vegetal flavor is there, as well, but it’s more subdued than in the aroma. It finishes sweet and is a nice treat.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a good, well-integrated carbonation and a really smooth creaminess.

Overall: a perfectly cromulent Baltic porter. I feel like the aroma could be a little cleaner, or something, but otherwise a solid beer.

Sampling a 16 oz can poured into my snifter at cellar temperature. No date stamping on label or can.
The beer pours a rich dark coffee color and no light passes through my glass. A dense and fizzy head of .5 cm foams up and fades to a sturdy surface covering soon after my pour. The aroma on this beer is rich roasted malt notes , some dark cocoa powder , a little charred wood. No hop character and not any hint of booze on the nose of this beer.
Very scattered lattice when I swirl or sip from the glass.
First sip reveals a medium body with very smooth texture and fine tingly carbonation. Beer drinks pretty easy.
Flavor is roasted malt, dark chocolate and hints of coffee grounds. THis rolls to a little bit of raisin or red grape note on the finish. There is just a hint of grassy hops on the finish, but lingering roast notes take over. Never any hint of the ABV.
A tasty beer that I am enjoying and glad to have had the opportunity to sample.