Cellar Series: Öö XO | Põhjala Brewery

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Total gusher so i thought it was going to be infected but luckily it wasn’t. Black licorice, dark chocolate and good amount of cognac, this is made really well.

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4.28/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.71/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of sweet black chocolate notes with some light roasted malt notes and huge notes of Cognac and oak. Taste is a mix of black chocolate notes with some heavy residual sugar notes which are offset by woody and Cognac notes that are more prominent than expected. Body is full with nice oily texture and good carbonation with some warming alcohol notes that are discernible. World-class barrel-aged Baltic porter.

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2.08/5  rDev -51.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Got this one at The Mitra in Maarssen

From a bottle into a snifter
Cellar Series
Best before 13-03-2021

APPEARANCE: Clear black pour yields a three finger, medium looking, slightly foamy tan head with excellent retention. Had to pour this one rather carefully. Black body with lots of carbonation for the style. Head gets potholed quickly and slowly fades to a thick, foamy cap. A splotchy wisp and ring remain leaving touches of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Woody with some slight metallic notes and staleness as well. This doesn’t smell all that great.

TASTE: Woody flavors with a touch of vanilla and some alcohol up front. A bit of a metallic note but not as much as in the nose. A medium but lingering finish of cognac, alcohol, wood, a bit of sour berries and a slight metallic hint. This is mostly woody, boozy and a bit stale.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. A touch foamy on the palate, goes down fine with a bit of a burn and finishes slightly mouth-coating. Some heat lingers for sure.

OVERALL: I’ve had two bottles of this. The first bottle had a best before date of 14-03-2020 and it was horribly infected. This bottling, whether it was a different batch, barrel, or whatever, is better, but it’s still pretty lousy. Boozy, slightly foamy, and certainly a little metallic and stale, I have definitely had better big, barrel aged beers from these guys. Pass on this one and try any other of their fantastic offerings. Meh.

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4.21/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.42/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I had 2 bottles of this at Cafe Frape in Maastricht while enjoying a return to Europe with my older daughter, Caitlin. Each 0.33l bottle cost €7.50.

Served in a shaker pint, it was a dark, opaque brown, with a creamy mocha head. The foam lasted well, and left nice lacing. It had a lovely nose, with lots of malt, choco, caramel, and light hints of cognac. Body was a solid medium, leading to a good overall feel.

Taste had loads of choco, mocha and coffee, along with some dark fruit. Cognac was also detected, though it was subtle and light. The finish was a bit semi-sweet, with no bitterness at all. A lovely brew! Prosit!

4.42/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2026

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4/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.44/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

4.15/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Liquid silk in your palate. It tastes strong, with chocolate, caramelized sugar and dark fruits. Strong cognac found on the nose, also a certain wood. Sticky and very sweet. A tad too sweet for me. Alcohol present in the aftertaste.

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4.53/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 11.2 oz bottle into snifter. Best before 14 03 21. Batch 622
A: Pours an extremely dark brown with 2-3 inch dark mocha head with excellent retention. Thick and viscous appearing.
S: Smooth dark chocolate, red berries, herbal mint, Cognac, and some dark dried fruit too. Potent stuff.
T: Smooth dark chocolate and dark dried fruit (figs in particular) quickly followed by a burst of Cognac, berries, cherries, caramelized sugar, and a hint of herbal mint.
M: Super soft and velvety smooth feel. Silkily coats the tongue, lingers and matures beautifully. Darkly sweet, mildly bitter, and just a hint of alcohol burn. Wow!
D: Certainly a sipper, but still an amazingly drinkable beer. Complex, but not overly so. Cognac barrel aging brings some intriguing elements to the brew. Would pair well with a meatier meal, but also would do well at dessert or after the meal. Very nice!

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4.19/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.29/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.1/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.09/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

4.42/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.26/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.15/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Drank from a 0.33L/11.2 fl. oz. red wax dipped bottle purchased at Fort Point Market, Boston, MA
Best Before 14 03 20
Served in a snifter

Slighter thinner on the pour than I anticipated. The dark brown body was topped by a two-finger tall, super tight and creamy, saddle brown head that slowly dropped to a thick, lasting cap. Some drippy streaks of lacing cascaded down the glass after each sip.

The aroma was really intriguing. Roasted malts came through strong. There was a big, sweet boozy quality too. I might guess that this was aged in Port or Sherry barrels, but I would not be surprised it were Cognac barrels either. Very raisinsy. Nice brown sugar-like sweetness. Good amount of vanilla too. Powdered cocoa notes were also detectable. As the beer sat, the sweet, boozy notes intensified.

The flavor was solid but definitely less complex than the nose. Roasted malt came through strong from the get-go. Bit of char and smokiness. Sweet, boozy notes appeared in the center. Like in the aroma, Port or Sherry came to mind. Quite raisiny. Moderately oaky. A strong metallic quality was noticeable at first, but it dissipated with time. More roasted malts, booze and bitterness on the finish. Somewhat ashy and acrid.

The mouthfeel was the only really disappointing aspect of the beer. It was super light and highly over carbonated initially. This reminded me of some infected stouts I have encountered in the past. As the beer sat, the carbonation settled to a somewhat more tolerable level, but it was still fairly excessive.

Põhjala Brewery’s Öö XO Baltic Porter is an interesting and rather complex beer that improves considerably as it warms. Be sure to serve this around cellar temperature and give it plenty of time to open up.

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4.14/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.26/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.76/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

4.65/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a clear and opaque extremely dark brown approaching black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation and faint dark cola brown colored highlights. The beer has a finger tall foamy tan head that reduces to a small patch of thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of cognac over the top of slightly less than moderate aromas of dark malts with light aromas of dark fruit (fig + plum) and hints of spiciness yeast. Cognac aromas intensify as the beer warms as well as the light presence of woodiness.

T: Upfront there is a moderate flavor of dark malts with light amounts of dark fruit (fig + plum) sweetness. That is followed by slightly stronger than moderate flavors of cognac + woody barrels and a light amount of spicy yeast. The cognac flavors linger well through the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: Very enjoyable but this slow sipping, warming beer makes me desire a cigar and sitting by the fireplace on a cold evening.

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4.16/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high dark tan head that died down but consistently left a short head covering the surface.
S: Light aromas of cognac are present in the nose along with hints of dark malts. The malts become a bit stronger as the beer warms up.
T: The taste has flavors of dark malts and cognac, the latter of which lingers into the finish. The cognac strengthens as the beer warms up.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer initially has a good balance between the dark malts and cognac, but as it warms up, the cognac becomes much more prominent.

Serving type: bottle

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4.26/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

4.04/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4