Baltic Porter
Smuttynose Brewing Company

L- reminds me of a. Imperial stout, thick dark, black, dense

S- chocolate, coffee, sweet vanilla

T- follows the nose

F- medium to full, vey low carbonation, quickly fading to a stillness

O- an excellent example of a Baltic Porter

355 ml botlle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. Black colour, large tan head. Aroma of roast malts, coffee, prunes, raisins and chocolate. Soft mouthfeel. Medium sweet flavour, with the same elements as the aroma. Fairly low bitterness. Enjoyable.

 

2013 vintage; drank 2/6/15 @ Yuss Haus.

Dark brown appearance.

Dark tan head; minimal lace.

Tart cherry & mild booze heat nose.

Medium thick, creamy mouthfeel.

Bakers chocolate & cream of wheat flavors up front; pickle juice & mild booze heat on the finish.

Sadly, as this warmed the pickle juice took over. Not very good.

 

 

Bottle Conditioned - May 2015.

Pours pitch black and oily. Thin tan head dissipates steadily leaving just a thin ring of mocha colored foam along the outside of the beer. Beer appears thick and viscous when poured.

Aroma has notes of cocoa, dark fruits, roasted malts, and molasses. Very nice aroma albeit somewhat subdued - however that is to be expected given the age of this bottle.

Taste is quite smoky with notes of roasted and smoked malts, molasses, chocolate, and dark fruits. Incredibly complex array of flavors. Not a ton of hops here, but again, not unexpected given the age of this bottle. The smokiness here really is quite lovely. No bitterness is left on the finish.

Feel is thick with a nice heft to it. Semi-dry finish. Light vibrant carbonation.

Overall this is a lovely beer and the age on this has done nothing but wonders.

 

 

 

A bit overrated by other reviewers. A solid stout all around but not exceptional like a Sam Smiths.

 

 

 

12oz bottle marked "bottle conditioned Mar. 2015 ABV 9%" poured into a Smuttynose pint glass at fridge temp. The beer pours very dense, dark brown with a little bit of light brown head. The head recedes to a paper thin coating with a sheet of lacing working down the glass as consumed. The aroma is dark charred malt and a little bakers dark chocolate. The taste is roasty malts up front, then a little tangy flavor & maybe a little dark fruit, finishing with a big semisweet chocolate finale. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, well carbonated with a wet, yet uncloying finish. Overall, very good. I had cellered this bottle since 2015 and it makes me sad this is not available locally anymore. Recommended.

 

 

 

L — For a porter, pours a very dark brown with a two-finger light brown head produced with aerated pour. Minimal retention and some lacing
S — Molasses, barley malts, bakers chocolate, stonefruits, and a touch of smoke and bacon
T — Leads with a good amount of dark chocolate, well-roasted barley malts, and smoke. Followed by hints of dark roast coffee, molasses, and candied prune
F — Moderately thick, silky mouthfeel. Medium carb. Restrained bitterness on the finish
O — Reminds me a lot of Smutty’s Robust Porter, although a little more intense. Somewhat surprised that this is currently BeerAdvocate’s highest rated beer in New Hampshire since it’s pretty nondescript overall (although still well put together!)

81/100

 

From a 355ml bottle served slightly chilled at 17 degrees Celsius into a snifter. Best by date: 5.10.2018 – I've had the bottle for 10+ months.

Look: The beer pours an opaque dark brown with 2cm of dense, mocha head that quickly fades (1+ min) into a partial film on top of the beer. Poor lacing and poor overall head which can very likely be attributed to aging and the high ABV.

Smell: Strong and sweet. Roasted malts dominate the aroma with noticeable dark fruit, and a faint alcohol note. Coffee and black licorice are also present. An unfortunate wet cardboard note has developed.

Taste: Strong and bitter. Roasted malts with black licorice and a hint of smoke. Slightly herbal and a medicinal character. Definitely gone stale with some papery flavour and a metallic finish.

Feel: Full body with mild carbonation. Slick and smooth with a mildly too strong of an astringency (most likely from aging). Restrained and smooth alcohol warming.

Overall: A definitive sipper with a deep dark malt character, considerable bitterness, and pleasant warming from the alcohol. I've had this beer before and I know I love it. Unfortunately the aging did a number on it and the review reflects that. I'm looking forward to the next fresh sample and scoring the brew higher.

 

Not very experienced in porters, however this is my favorite by far... Very well balanced, jet black in appearance. I get chocolate, coffee, raisins, and even toffee in the taste. Extremely smooth and easy drinking. I will definitely keep picking this up when I see it. Extremely reasonable too...

 

Bottle - decants jet black, defies light getting through the glass - smallish tan cap forms surface lace. Aroma of dried fig-dates, roasted grain char and whispers of sweet burnt treacle. Medium- heavy bodied, slick mouthfeel. Flavor has firm Baltic Porter characteristics - roasty, plenty of roast grain body, dried dark fruit tones, some smoke, licorice notes, burnt treacle...long wet finish dries up a bit with some bittering and roast astringency - a very decent American dry Baltic - nice for sipping or pairing up with some shell fish.

 

This was poured into an English pint glass. The appearance was a pure dark jet black pour. A slight one and a half finger white to off white foamy head dissipated within less than a minute. Lacing just quickly slides into the beer. The smell starts off with sweet rich dark chocolate with a nice leading edge of some dark fruits coming in lightly to keep it sweet. Light bitter and roasty coffee beans show some nice balance to boot in the aroma. The taste follows through in the previously noted aromas. The lager yeast helps a tad little bit of breadiness to make a smooth transition to the aftertaste and give off a sly little bit of semi-sweet sticky little bit of a finish. On the palate, this one sat about a medium in body with a good sessionability about it. Carbonation runs really light causing a big stickiness to develop and surround my tongue. Overall, I say this was a really nice Baltic Porter, maybe I just could have had it at the right time too. It really aged nicely!

Pours a very rich looking brown, with a half finger of tan head that leaves a decent lacing. The aroma is rich roasted malt, molasses/brown sugar, slight alcohol, baker's chocolate, black licorice, and mild java. Flavor is really nice and rich. Big chocolate and molasses, mild coffee, toffee, and I want to say black licorice again. That's what comes to mind. No alcohol hit in the flavor. The feel is luxurious. Thick and full bodied, medium full carbonation, sticky, but drying on the finish. Really suits me, on every level for an imperial porter. Excellent!

12 oz bottle, best before 6/19/2017.

Pours very dark brown (almost black) and opaque with a very small tan head that shows poor retention. Fantastic aroma filled with raisin, caramel, chocolate and roasted malt. The raisin/fruitiness aspect of this beer is strong and really comes out in the flavor. There is a bit of a vinous quality to it as well. It has a lot in common with an Imperial Stout, but it's so smooth and there's no sign of hops. Medium-full bodied and beyond easy to drink for the 9% ABV. Another winner from Smuttynose. The only thing I would change is to increase the carbonation, but it's a damn good beer regardless.

Dark black with a small tan head. Tastes and smells of bitter dark chocolate and coffee with some sweetness. Hop bitterness is somewhat present as well. The mouthfeel is amazing, right where it should be. This is probably the best porter that I have yet to try.

 

 

This thick, chewy, toasty and bitter char ending beer is magnificent. The aromas of coffee, bitter dark chocolate and roasted malt are transformed into flavors on your tongue when the beer is tasted. This is really a fine porter.

Smooth smooth smooth beer. The most impressive aspect of this beer is the mouthfeel, especially for a beer of this size, but all the component parts are very impressive as well. Black pour with a brown, frothy, tightly packed cap. Aroma of smoke, char, burnt wood, roasted malt, dark fruit. Dates, raisins, prunes hits the palate first followed by a rich, thick, velvety malt that brings those flavors of chocolate, smoke and char back to the fore. Delicious beer. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel that lingers for a bit on the palate. Nice balanced sweetness/smokiness/bitterness ends the sip. Great beer.

Solid brew! Everything you'd expect and want in a porter. Sweet, good bite, boozy, thick, with complex flavors. Will come back.

Pours thick and opaque black with a smallish tan head. The aroma is of christmas pudding, plum, tobacco and roasty malt notes. Rich chocolate and espresso roast coffee notes show in the taste. Very rich yet drier than most Baltic Porters. Thick, viscous mouthfeel with light carbonation. Off dry in the finish with lingering fruity berry notes and light hop bitterness. Booze is well concealed throughout.

This is a fantastic, complex and ridiculously drinkable Baltic Porter. A classic of the style that may even appeal to people who generally don’t like porters and stouts.

Exceptional beer. I'll definitely be buying this one again!

Look - almost pitch black with almost no head. Pretty much Looks like coffee in a glass.

Aroma - lots of coffee and hints of dark chocolate

Taste - amazing. A lot of maltiness upfront. I'm getting coffee, chocolate and caramel. Doesn't have too much of that burnt taste that I'm not very fond of.

Feel - suuuuuper smooth. Has just enough feel to it without being too syrupy. I love the feel on this one.

Overall - amazing beer for sure and I'll be buying this one whenever I feel like drinking a porter that I know is good. Would be nice if it had a little more carbonation but asking for perfection isn't always reasonless. If it's available for you, get it!

 

 

355 ml bottle served at cellar temperature into a pint glass. Purchased a 4 pack from the LCBO for about $13 CDN. so $3.25 CDN per bottle. Best before October 2018. This rendition advertised at 9.0% ABV.

Appearance - Very dark brown beer, appears black in the glass. Capped by a half finger of surprisingly long lasting deep tan head (with near red hues). Some lacing and obviously no sightlines.

Smell - Dark, with chocolate, hints of coffee, molasses, dark fruit, licorice among others. Plenty malty with a diverse aray of aromas. Inviting, robust and downright impressive. Not many beers can lure you in to enjoying like this Baltic porter can.

Taste - Again dark and malt forward. Dark chocolate and coffee are the first friends, but molasses and black licorice show up in spades too. Hints of vanilla and plenty of hop bitterness to keep it balanced.

Mouthfeel - Smooth and silky yet full and robust. Carbonation is just right. A masterpiece.

Overall - A pretty sensation baltic porter that is easy drinking, filling yet smooth and super tasty hitting all the right flavors for this advocate. Certainly worth a try and so happy I was able to grab the last 4 pack on the shelf. Smuttynose to this point has been very good but hasn't blown me away in my limited samplings, however the baltic porter is phenomenal and I finally see what others do in this renowned New England beermaker.