Pime Öö
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room

Bottled and purchased from craft beer stalwarts Beermoth in Manchester city
Pours a jet black body with splatterings of tan head
Aroma is treacle and dark rum
Flavour is rum and raisin rum

I had this on draft 2/6/24 @ the Hopleaf.

Black appearance.

Minimal dark tan head; no lacing remained.

Fresh earth, black licorice, mild cherry & faint allspice notes in the nose.

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Black licorice & honey flavors up front; fresh earth, mild tart cherry & booze heat notes on the finish.

It's big, it's bold, it's really a Russian Imperial Stout. Perhaps a bit over the top for me, but I overall I enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

De labirratorium. En copa Mahou Barrica. Con palomitas. Estudiando. Perfil achocolatado con ciertos recuerdos a tabaco en su final. Se bebe con bastante facilidad para su abv

 

A - Dark brown (borderline black) pour with thin caramel colored lacing and no carbonation. Lots of legs on the sides of the glass that ooze down the sides when swirled.

S - Roasted cocoa, delicate char, and a slight syrupy presence on the nose.

T - Roasted cocoa, char / charcoal, black licorice, smokie brownies with a roasty fudge base, and some alcohol permeating up to the sinuses with warming in the back of the throat. Nice lingering roasty fudge brownie on the back side.

M - Thick and syrupy / oily with warming in the back of the throat and lip smacking sticky.

O - This one is an under the radar beer and well worth seeking out.

 

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Oily dark brown color with a thin initial head of brown with decent lacing. Strong aroma and taste of slightly bitter dark chocolate. Hazelnut and dark berries. Smooth but thin feel. Good but I like their porters better.

 

Poured cold to a Glencairn…I really need to stop chilling my stouts… pours an obsidian black, scant mocha penumbra ’round the glass. Nose is stunted because it’s too cold, but there’s some nice dark malt aroma with the schnoz deep in there. First sips are sweeter than I expected, not distracting or cloying. There’s almost a barrel character to it, though this is not a BA version. Mouthfeel is heavy and satisfying. 13.6% ABV hides well enough, but has a little warming while I’m out here on the back deck in the 40’s. Lingering flavors of dark malts, rye, a bit of leather. Try good drink overall. Very easy to drink…much too easy to finish quickly.

 

L: Inky brown. Orange brown head is minimal but clingy.
S: Cool and alcoholic. Dark fruits- plum and cherry, sweet earth, chocolate, molasses. Deep, heavy, fantastic.
T: Sweet. Brown sugar, hints of plum, strong vanilla, and chocolate. Very, very sweet upfront. Black licorice. Then, a coffee finish that brings a bit of bitterness, but not much. More chocolate, too.
F: Smooth and oily. Wouldn’t guess it’s almost 14% unless you checked.
O: Surprisingly sweet, this is definitely a desert. I dig the licorice and the coffee finish. I wish there was a bit more bitterness to balance it out, but even so this is a great beer.

 

 

 

 

Got this one from my neighbor for my 40th birthday. Cheers!

From a bottle into a snifter
Best before 23 November 2019

APPEARANCE: Black pour yields a 1+ finger, medium-thicker looking, creamy tan head with excellent retention. Black body with touches of carbonation evident. Head recedes to a full, creamy cap and clings to the glass. A swirly, splotchy wisp remains leaving touches of lacing down the glass. Thick and black with a nice looking head. Good stuff.

SMELL: Big nose of roasted malts, creamy coffee, dark, pure chocolate, vanilla cream and some delectable fudge brownies. Bold and really enticing. Vanilla covered chocolate brownies dipped in espresso.

TASTE: Roasted malts, creamy vanilla and espresso, dark chocolate and brownies up front. Delicious. Some alcohol at the swallow, moving into a bold finish of creamy coffee, vanilla, bitter dark chocolate and espresso, roasted malts and decadent fudge brownies. Really delicious and desert-like. Lovely.

PALATE: Fuller body with slightly lower levels of carbonation. Creamy and smooth on the palate, enough weight, goes down silky with a bit of a burn at the swallow and finishes sticky on the palate. Some heat lingers.

OVERALL: This is excellent. Totally delicious and decadent at every turn. The best non-BA Pohjala to date and maybe the best imperial stout to have come out of Europe. Roasted, chocolaty and lots of character in this one. Totally delicious. Well worth checking out if you happen to find it. Highly, highly recommended.