13 Paces
Wedge Brewing Company

 

 

Baltic porter and barrels are certainly familiar with one another, as the roots of the style had the dark ale slumbering in them as they crossed the Baltic Sea. However, bourbon barrels are another story. The strong porter of Wedge Brewing graciously takes on the sweet and caramelized nuances of charred oak and the spiced whisky effects that come along with them.

Very dark brown and capped with a creamy mocha froth, the beer could easily be mistaken for stout if not for the bleached garnet margins. A toasty, chocolaty, nutty aroma comes with sweet caramel, vanilla and coconut from the barrel. Sweet also to taste, the malts bring the savory taste of toffee, brown sugar, chocolate and sweet cream.

As the porter opens up on the middle palate, its sweetness slowly relaxes and the malt allows a balance of char and woodsy bitterness to establish an even keel momentum with bold notes of columbian coffee, walnut, cocoa and an overall bark-like spice. Any hop bitterness is easily perceived as that of coffee or cocoa as a broad toasty, near roasty taste commands the late palate.

Full in body and moderately carbonated the ale retains a creaminess late, lessened only by the spicy of oak aged whisky and the char of the barrel. A long and bittersweet finish is kahlua-like with the bitterness of french press coffee.