Odin's Sword
Big Island Brewhaus

 

a cool baltic porter, for some reason an unexpected style to encounter in hawaii, and the only one we did i think, a former gabf gold medal winner, credit to them for that, but this didnt hit me like a champion beer, its good but its not epic, and the refinement doesnt quite climb to the level i think of when i imagine the style in its ideal form, its also somewhat lighter than anticipated, even though i do believe the abv was higher than what is listed here on this page. it appears as dark brown as it does black, under a frothy half inch of tan foam, lathered up to almost look like a nitro head, but also i can tell there is a touch of sediment in it, maybe the beginning or an end of a keg, but there really isnt room for that in the style, despite how appealing the rest of it looks, and its mellow anyway, im being critical for no reason i suppose. the aroma and flavor have some really faint astringency, not infection or anything, just like, tannins from too warm of a sparge or something, its really mild too, but i notice it and it breaks down some of the characteristic smoothness of the style, i guess i just dont think of these elements in gold medal beer, which is maybe where my critical tone comes from here, i still like the beer a lot. milk chocolate, raisin, and cigar are all in the nose and taste, nice grain layers beyond the roasty low end, but also not sweet, subtle cola, fig, and dark bread, even some smoke, very nice grain depth. the body is medium, the hops are nothing, and the lager yeast is old worldy, flavorful, and very well deployed in this, its on the dry side, its bubbly, and its soft feeling. nice underlying minerality, some good roasted bitterness on the swallow, pretty quick to fade too, i taste this almost new on each sip, more chocolate as it warms. perhaps this isnt their finest batch, but the potential of this is really high, and i can see, under different circumstances, this being worthy of its medal. in the context of hawaii, i like the lesser body, the well hidden abv, and the overall easier drinking approach this takes to a style i really love. nice.

On tap. Khaki tan head. Caramel hued brown. Lace.

Caramel, molasses, cocoa, raisins, figs, toffee. Dark dried fruits, candied syrup. Smooth and creamy. This Baltic is full of flavor, creamy, and smooth. Medium to full bodied. Very enjoyable.