Berkshire Bourbon Barrel Baltic Porter
Berkshire Brewing Company

 

Poured from the tap into a tasting glass.

The color is a dark brown with a brownish foamy head and some nice lacing left on the glass.

The smell is a nice roasted malt flavor with some slight coffee and dark fruit flavor.

The taste is of nice dark fruit, some grape flavor with some berry flavor. Chocolate malts come out with a slightly creamy feel. A bourbon flavor comes out toward the end and gives the flavor a bit of a bite.

The feel of this beer is medium bodied was pretty strong with a bit of a bourbon flavor in this beer. It was pretty drinkable for a beer that was this strong.

appearance - Dark brown color, beige head and left some lace on the glass.

smell - Roasted malt, coffee and dark fruit.

taste - Dark fruit, dark chocolate, and slight hint of bourbon here. Not as strong as I thought it would be.

mouthfeel - Medium body.

drinkability - Nice drinking beer because it is not a strong beer. It drinks like a Baltic porter with a hint of bourbon. Not that bad.

Tap in Rhode Island enjoyed with some friends.

Big dark black looking beer...poured into a pint glass, espresso like head. Very daunting looking brew.
Was very surprised at the aroma of this one. Right off the bat i get that wonderful brett barrel funk. As it warmed a bit i got tons of chocolate, dark fruits, roasted malts and sweet bourbon. This is going to be tasty.
Taste was great, there is a lot of brett going on in this brew. The brett is balanced nicely and i still get the char and the oak flavors from the bourbon barrel. Roasted malts, chocolate.
Very smooth drinking beer. Nice creamy mouthfeel. Overall a nice surprise to find, a really wonderful porter.

On-tap 4/18/09 at Track 84 in Warwick, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a large beige head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of dark fruit, roasted malts, coffee, some dark chocolate and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste isn't as malty as you would expect and hits with a strong burst of dark fruits up front. There are complementary flavors of coffee and dark chocolate but they are on the weak side for the style. The hops presence is mild. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Flavorful, goes down easy, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, it's a decent beer and a little off-center but it's not the first Baltic Porter that I'd choose.

Had on Draft at Track 84 on 4/11/2009. Served in a standard pint glass. Color was one shade shy of black with ruby highlights around the base. Two inch tan-colored head demonstrated excellent retention - thick, consistent slashes of lacing were revealed during the tasting. Nose was very mild - some oak with vinous/grape-like aromas. Bourbon comes out in the flavor profile, as well as dark fruit and the vinous qualities detected in the nose; however, flavors were somewhat muted across the board. Mouthfeel was medium-bodied and lightly effervescent. Some acidity comes out across the sides of the tongue and lingers at the finish. Baltic porters are not typically a style that I seek out, but the bourbon quality, while not over the top, added a nice flavor to the brew. However, if you are expecting bold barrel-aged flavoring, you won't find it here. Nonetheless, a very enjoyable offering from BBC.