Maximum Overdrive
Sun King Brewing Company

 

 

16oz can purchased from the Fishers location. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It smelled of roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. Sweet maltiness with coffee, chocolate and toffee.

16oz undated can (from May-one time collaboration with 3Floyds) poured into a Rastal glass at fridge temp, no ABV listed on can. The beer pours bright dark brown with mahogany highlights and mocha colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is mild, but rich with malt. The taste is multifaceted malt with notes of toasted bread, caramel, roasted malt along with some faint cherry & berry fruit. The finish features mild to moderate bitterness and is barely sweet yet drying. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with adequate carbonation. Overall, very good. How sad that this is a one off. This beer showcases what these two breweries can do. Grab a single if you see it. The other three IPAs in the four pack are past their best by date.

 

 

 

 

Very dark brown, almost black, with a creamy tan head. Aromas of roasted malt, biscuit, toast, char, chocolate, yeast esters, and spice. The flavor is hoppier and less roasted than the smell suggests. Piney hops and charred coffee bring a lasting bitterness over the bready background. Feel is on the lighter side of medium and very smooth. This is both crisp and complex, and a very enjoyable porter.

 

The Baltic styled porter has been a beer waining from the memory of the craft beer drinker, but in the capable hands of Sun King and Three Floyds brewers, the beer might takes on a modern day makeover in an attempt to survive the craft beer purge.

Dark bark brown and pouring an exuberant haze light tan froth, the beer billows onto the nose with strong hints of coffee, pine, cocoa, cola and caramelized nuttiness. Its grain flavors strike the palate like toasted granola with a heavy toast, dry toffee, caramelized tepid sweetness.

As the ale rolls along, its sweetness is broken by the surprising carbonation that lifts the malts and dries them in an Americanized fashion. Then the hops pop out with a strong citrus peel component, largely shaped with grapefruit and orange peels. Trending spicy, resinous and bitter, the beer sides strongly with America's more robust porter but with the esters of grape, licorice and sarsaparilla in a long, bitter, piney aftertaste.

Medium full on the palate, the original Baltic porters would have a fuller body, a richer texture and a vinous spice. But this version uses hops, dryness and a high rate of carbonation to align the beer slightly more IPA like and definitely more American porter like.

Dark, roasty, toasty, coffee notes, dark chocolate, marmalade fruitiness, mild floral earthy hops

From a 16 oz. can into a pint glass, this beer pours out almost as perfect as it could for the style. Medium brown with ruby highlights throughout and forms two fingers of tightly packed, khaki bubbles that slowly recede. The ruby highlights are beautiful.

The nose brings a presence of earthy/organic whole wheat bread with nuts and oats. Very faint peanut and a slight touch of hops.

The taste comes in way earthier than I ever would of expected. I’m picking up a note that reminds me of mushrooms? Along with more of that nuttiness and rolled oats. Faint chocolate. I can’t really get past that kind of mushroom likeness though.

Slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Soft and smooth feeling, but could be cleaner throughout.

Sadly, this wasn’t for me. Just a little too much earthiness mixing and I think it could finish cleaner.

 

 

Pours a dark dark walnut wood brown with a nice compact head of heavily-creamed-coffee foam. back lit the beer has almost ruby accents on the edges.
Smell is unexpectedly light and earthly, with a nice nutty sweetness. Very pleasant and approachable
Taste has a nice holiday spice character over a light charcoal and rich hazelnuttiness. Really well balanced flavor that is complex yet easy and almost demands another sip.
Mouthfeel is wonderfully light and crisp. Super smooth and exceptionally drinkable.
Overall this is a wonderful beer. I forget how much I like baltic porters because they are painfully absent from my market. This is the dark beer for these hot summer nights.