Icelandic Toasted Porter
Einstök Ölgerð (Einstök Beer Company)

 

 

Pretty amazing to be tasting a brew from Iceland. Poured into a Duvel tulip glass. 2” of foam quickly dissipated. Smell was lovely consisting of espresso, and chocolate. A nice example of a baltic porter from Iceland.

Appearance: Pours a dark black color with a strong, dark tan head. SRM of 23. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong aromas of English chocolate, dark chocolate, coffee, some English cream and lactose. Roasted. (4.00)

Flavor: Strong flavors of English chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, English coffee and lactose cream with some dark cereal malt flavors. Relatively dry. (4.00)

Feel: Medium-bodied, strong carbonation and leans dry. (4.00)

Compared to Anchor Steam Porter 1/7/2023: Pours similar, similar aromas. Slightly more English cream, lactose. Less dry roast and bitterness. Slightly maltier, but similar overall.

Compared to Surly Skeleton Tree 1/7/2023: Pours darker, stronger aromas. More bittersweet chocolate, English cream and malt. Less dark grain, yeast, airy roast. More English and sweeter.

Compared to Guinness Extra Stout 3/17/23: Pours similar with a milder head. Stronger aromas. More chocolate, coffee roast, roasted dark cereal malt. Less bittersweet chocolate, bitter English black malt.

Overall: First official Baltic Porter here. I think this one drinks similar to an English porter. Sort of how Iceland lands in between England and America, this porter captures the English bittersweet chocolate and lactose cream flavors, but also has some American roast and bitterness to it. Strong cereal malt. Very good. (Rating: 4.05+)

Purchased as part of a 6 pack of bottles from Wegmans.

L- Deep onyx.

S - Pumpernickel bread.

T- Tannic coffee.

F- Very smooth mouthfeel.

O- Excellent Porter!

 

 

Dark with moderate foam head. Tastes of coffee, mild chocolate, and malt. Slight bitterness which gets more pronounced with the after taste. I had it on tap. A very decent porter. The six pack price is on the steep side though.

A. black
S. toasted grains, molasses, char
T. toasted grains, charcoal, booze, anise, coffee
T. contextual, apropos, ideal, enveloping
O. the cleanest, most 'crisp' porter I've ever had. my favorite porter.

From a 11.2oz can:

Appearance: Dark brown, huge head.

Smell: Good roasted aroma, coffee.

Taste: Nice mocha sweetness up front, continuing coffee-mild bitterness, creamy feel, finishes with mild coffee bitterness.

Overall: Picked up a sixer in Colorado to try, I was pleasantly surprised. Nice moderately sweet coffee flavor and nice feel to it. Maybe someday they'll distribute in MN.

 

Icelandic Toasted Porter

Einstök Ölgerð

Porter - Baltic

Super smooth and toasty malt delight. Light to medium bodied but really smooth and easy. Complexity of dark roast coffee malt and vanilla like sweetness was very nice. Thanks Hatti.

3.90

Canned 09/06/22, 12 ounce.
Poured black with a one-finger beige head. Very nice coffee aroma. It reminds me of driving in the old Folger's area downtown. The taste is coffee toffee, roasted. The taste lingers. There's a dark fruit note, too.
Creamy porter mouthfeel. Finishes smooth, leaving me wanting more.

 

 

11.2oz can purchased from the fridge as six pack for $11.99. Canned on 2/22, so this is just over 5 months old.

Look: Pours out a very dark brown color, and looks black in the glass. There is a nice brownish/tan colored frothy head that slowly recedes and leaves nice lacing.

Smell: Nice roasty aromas of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, and nuttiness. Has an interesting ashy, charcoaly nose to it that is really intriguing. Notes of fudgy brownies. There is also a subtle creamy vanilla aroma that is very nice. Mild earthy hop aroma on the finish. Very subtle notes of dark fruit on the back end.

Taste: Definitely tastes like a Baltic porter. Up front, there is a bit of sweetness before the dryness takes over. The finish is very dry, slightly acidic, and has that nice charcoal drying effect from the toasted malt. Lingering hop bitterness on the finish, reminds me a bit of a Russian Imperial Stout with more roast and less body. Lingering licorice and bitter chocolate and coffee flavors also.

Feel: This beer is on the low side of medium body, I would say 2/3 to 3/4 towards medium body. It holds its own for 6% ABV.

Overall: This is probably one of the hoppier Baltic porters that I have had. It seems to me that the European Baltic Porters are brewed in a generally more hoppy vein than the way that an American brewer would tend to make a Baltic porter. It has a coffee-forward flavor profile and it is a bit thin; that being said, it's quite drinkable and I certainly wouldn't mind having this instead of a cup of coffee in the morning!

330ml can. Can bottomed is stamped '06.10.21 BF 06/DEC/2022'.
Black colored body. Light tan head. Leaves behind trails of lacing.
Aroma is charred malts, heavy dark coffee, and chocolate.
Taste is smooth with dark roasted malts, dark black coffee, and dark chocolate. Not quite bitter but dark roasted.
Less than medium mouth feel. Good carbonation.
Smooth and crisp baltic porter, with emphasis on the dark roasted malts.

Poured from a 330mL can, canned on June 22 2021, best before Aug 22 2022

On the pour a 2 finger brown head forms then over 5 or so minutes it dissipates to a thick ring around the glass. The body let's barely any light through and any light that does come through is a dark muted red.

Aroma is all roasted malt and coffee. Some dark chocolatey vibes. Some sweet dark fruit vibes. Definitely a porter, the Baltic part of the Baltic porter isn't as obvious in the aroma as I'd like (this is a lager not an ale). Very sweet and roasty.

Flavor follows the smell with a big wave of roast and bitterness coming from the roasted malts as well. Much less sweetness on the taste basically all roasty bitter malty flavors with black coffee as the finish. The Baltic side of this porter is actually detectable with a smooth/crisp finish focusing largely on the malt.

Feel is big but with a crispness that comes as the beer finishes making it easy to put down and giving it a light finish for the color and flavor. Leaves you wanting another sip. Quite a carbonation bite on this, almost refreshing but the dark flavors and abv keep it just below that threshold.

Overall a pretty fun dark beer with a big focus on malts and roasty flavors without being as dry and chocolatey as a stout. Dark to the point of being burnt tasting however woth the dark coffee beans. The most impressive part of this beer is how drinkable it is for a porter.

Best by 1/26/23

“Toasted Porter” seems like an odd phrase to me. Don’t all Porters use some degree of malt that’s been toasted? Either way, it sounds good right about now, so let’s get into it

Pours a very dark brown with 2 fingers of light tan head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

Well it definitely does smell “extra toasted” which is appreciated. I’m picking up on aromas of milk chocolate, toasted hazelnut, acidic coffee, toffee, sweet vanilla, earthy hops, and light raisin

It’s a bit nondescript in taste, especially up front, but it’s still enjoyable. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting roasted coffee, sweet vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. The swallow brings notes of milk chocolate, brown sugar, raisin, herbal hops, and light vanilla

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a smooth yet crisp beer. Finishes mostly dry and balanced

This is pretty good. Nothing amazing but damn solid for what it is

L - dark brown with mahogany highlights with a tan head that dissipates quickly leaving behind some lacing.
S - Roasted, charred dark malt, bitter dark chocolate. Some hops as well
T - follows the nose: roasted, charred dark malt up front and throughout followed by bitter dark chocolate, some bitter coffee, and hops on the backend
F - medium bodied with light to medium carbonation
O - a pretty solid porter with good notes of roast, charred malt, chocolate, and coffee

 

 

Dated Sept 14, 21. Drinking on Feb 21, 22 at fridge temperature.

L: jet black body with no light protruding through. Off white finger head that turns to a ring. Moderate lacing.

S: toasted malts, chocolate, smells well past due.

T: nice roasted malts, dark chocolate, rich coffee. I bet this would be an excellent porter if fresh. Instead this one has hints of the intended flavors but the unmistakable musky taste of an outdated brew. Oh well maybe next time.

F: creamy with slightly too high carbonation. Medium full bodied but very smooth.

O: this particular 6er was disappointing but I’m eager to try the brew again fresh. The look and feel are on point, and the roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate were rich and complemented each other well. Just too much skunk to comfortably enjoy this time.

Ever so slight scent of toasted hops once the top is popped. The two-finger café latte head is slow to form, but persists for a while above the opaque dark chocolate-colored brew. In the glass, more toast and smoke and coffee become noticeable. Starts off with a round, slightly sweet creaminess that dissipates to a decidedly citrus and astringent finish. Maybe this is an off-can, but I really don't detect chocolate, coffee, much roastiness or toastiness or smoothness. This is not the porter I was looking for, and will not be looking for again.

Look: Jet black pour with heavy foam (3 fingers length risen to the surface). Not much lacing as this dissolves.
Smell: Getting notes of coffee, caramel, dark chocolate. Not used to porters as much since I'm mainly a stout drinker but it has a smell that resembles a few porters I've had in the past.
Taste: Big notes of roastyness and bitterness. Getting big notes of coffee in the end. Not to sweet. Very smooth going down. Maybe it's the type of water used to craft this beer. Amazing!!!!
Feel: medium bodied, not to heavy but slight heaviness on initial taste then softens immediately as it flourishes in you're mouth. For some reason it makes you want to have another drink.
Overall: I wasn't expecting to like a porter since I'm a sweet/dessert friendly stout fan but I found myself buying this a second time vs trying beers and tossing them aside. I'll definitely buy this in the future but this is a great beer to have with a meal/ hanging with friends or even sipping by yourself finishing up work or finding yourself to relax at the end of the day.
Overall:

Best Porter I’ve had. Eveything in balance. Much depth of flavor and smell. I discover more with each sip. Kudos to Einstök!

 

 

 

 

Solid Baltic porter from our friends in Iceland. 6% ABV makes it an approachable choice for those seeking a porter fix.

Poured from a 12 ounce can, the body was a pleasant dark brown. Minor head with insignificant lacing.

Toasted malts are up front in aroma and taste as expected. Notes of chocolate make this porter a pleasant drink. Mouthfeel was intentionally made on the light side due to their use of lager yeast and left me wishing that had been boosted. Hard to argue with their intentions, but my personal preference is for a bit more heft in my porters like in GLBC Edmund Fitzgerald or Founders Porter.

Overall a good beer that I’d love to try on tap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L:. Pours a dark brown black color with a small white head and no lacing on the glass.

S:. Roasted malt, milk chocolate, a touch of light bittering hops, some caramel and a light coffee.

T:. Sweet milk chocolate, some roasted malt and a medium bitterness. Pretty easy drinking for a porter.

F:. Smooth medium body.

O:. Very easy drinking for a porter

I enjoy this also its not the greatest porter in the entire world but its super quaffable. I hate that darker styles aren't more mainstream I'd love to bring this somewhere. I also enjoy that a brewery from Iceland "made it" Einstok is pretty available in the USA.