Imperial Porter
Twisted Pine Brewing Company

 

 

Northstar Imperial Porter has a label depicting a forest of coniferous trees, a ground full of fresh-fallen snow, and a sky of bright stars on a dark, seemingly frigid night. The beer itself is appropriately, reciprocally black and wintry, also topped with a fine, powdery dusting (albeit severely muddy instead of pristine white). A perfect look for a winter seasonal from Colorado.

The aroma isn't overpowering, though with a cast of flavours that includes black licorice, caramel, raisin, fudge, coffee, and currants it's a wonder how it's not. I was expecting more hops but there's scarcely more than a hint of pine. No matter, this maltiness is rich and satisfying - it needs no help. 'Thanks but no thanks', it says. 'I got this.' Indeed it does!

Northstar is far too soft and cuddly for an Imperial Porter. High alcohol beers typically want a fist-fight but this one offers free hugs. Its 25 IBU predictably puts up little fight but the 9.5% is unexpectedly absent - or perhaps just crowded out by those full, creamy, well integrated flavours of toffee, dark honey, chocolate truffle, hazelnut, coffee and raisins.

Some (or maybe a lot) of this may relate to the fact this bottle is one day away from celebrating its 2nd birthday. Time in the cellar has certainly thinned out the mouthfeel, even oxidized it slightly. The brewery insists it can be aged for up to 4 years but I wouldn't go further than this; there's no sense trading in any more of that gooey, delicious flavour. It's drinkable enough as is.

Twisted Pine absolutely delivered on their promise to "warm up any winter's night and provide a perfect fireside companion". Northstar Imperial Porter is a gentle giant, a Newfoundland dog that sits in your lap and let's you scratch behind her ears. It's not as profound as some may want and is more enjoyable than impressive, but, by all accounts, is well worth buying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

twisted pine has gotten a lot better lately. they dont have an amazing reputation among craft beer folks really, but their beer is really solid every time i have some, and this is super good porter, although im not sure if its listing here as a baltic porter is correct. doesnt matter, the beer is excellent. hersheys syrup brown with a good inch of lighter brown head at first, but it settles down to patchy bubbles pretty quickly. the nose is sweet and loaded with toffee and burning sugar qualities, rum raisin, bread pudding, and all sorts of other sticky sweet desserts and the coffee that goes best with them. surprisingly the flavor isnt anywhere near as sweet as the nose, but you still get all that awesome malt layering, with espresso being a strong overtone from the roasted barley in the finish. its thick beer, with a molasses taste to it and it totally coats the palate, but i dont find it overly sugary, and think it to be rather drinkable for its abv as well. drinks more like 7% or 8% abv, surprised to see it so strong. i have not seen bottles of this one ever, but was fortunate enough to have a pour yesterday at back country pizza up in nederland. twisted pine keeps impressing me this year, and while this one is more winter than spring beer, its delicious and decadent and appealing any time.

 

I had high hopes but to me it was a very one dimensional beer. Molasses or dark malt and that is about all I got from it.

 

 

A: poured into a snifter to a nice shade of black with a small tan head that fades quickly to a small mat and collar around the edge of the glass
S: smells of roasted malt and bittersweet dark chocolate with a little coffee
T: taste is light roastyness with some chocolate sweetness and coffee. swallow is bitter roasted malt, coffee, a bit of chocolate and a hint of hop bitterness
M: this beer sits with moderate heft on the palate with soft carbonation and a slightly drying finish
O: Not a bad beer at all, good flavors and decent complexity without any hints of alcohol.