Cellar Series: Öö XO
Põhjala Brewery

4.29/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a deep dark-brown color with a medium top off cappuccino colored head that dissolves slowly.
Aroma is of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, caramel, vanilla, licorice, dark dried fruits, wood and cognac.
The taste is strong roasted and burnt malt with notes of dark chocolate, caramel and coffee.
The malty notes is ballanced with sweet notes of dried fruits and some slight cognac notes.
The roasted notes is there until the end. The finish also has a slight bitterness. The aftertaste is long and strong.
Mouthfeel is creamy and oily with a medium carbonation and a full body.
This was some solid stuff. A really impressive and delicious baltic porter.

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3.84/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Matte black to dark brown with a tall tan foam head slowly settling to a soft blanket.

Roasty, nutty and a little astringent with its metallic pine backing, there's a touch of milky oak, but it's not imparting that much character.

The smooth medium-light body has a soft fizz that comes to a semi-dry finish, bringing out a hint of red fruit heat, but not much, exhaling faint grape.

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4.04/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

The cognac is there it has some fermentation flaws and it's overly carbonated. It's mostly about coffee and cognac. It's almost a bit boozy. Not their best offering in my opinion

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4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a patchy head that dissipates to nothing with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, dried plums, dates, cherry, light cognac and oak. Flavor follows, with more cognac character, full bodied dark dried fruit, licorice and some light woody astringency. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Lots of barrel character in this aged Baltic porter. The classic dark dried fruit of the base porter are present, but mellow and smooth. Woody and clear cognac notes, especially in the finish. Has a lot of character I'd expect from an American strong ale, but the Baltic porter roots are obvious. Nicely done. I bit of booziness, but alcohol is well balanced. I like everything I've had from this brewery.

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4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

L: Opaque black beer with a three finger dark caramel head of tight foam slowly dissipating to a cap with some clumpy lacing.

S: Powerful aromas of toasted malt, dark cherries for certain, and some other dark fruits... prunes, dates, etc. Some vanilla, sugars, and oak from the barrel.

T: Follows the nose - not boozy. Nicely bitter. Very much stout like. Divine.

F: Medium-heavy feel. Right carbonation. Smoother and creamier than most Baltic what-have-you's.

O: Wow. My second Põhjala brew was nearly as good as the first. I'm lovin' these brewers!

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4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cognac Barrel Aged Imperial Baltic Porter.
Black. One foinger of brown head, not bad giving the alcohol.
Intense smell, cognac, toasted notes, alcohol, dry fruit, light oxidation. Barrel present but not overwhelming.
Dry figs, plums.
Intense and full taste, long. Well, yes, alcohol, but well hidden.
Then again, artichoke.Vanilla, dry fruit, dry dates. The right amount of bitterness. Liquorice.
Great beer, complex and pleasant.

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4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
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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4.71/5  rDev +10.3%
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 -51.3%
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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4.42/5  rDev +3.5%
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

2025

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4.15/5  rDev -2.8%
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 +6.1%
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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4.15/5  rDev -2.8%
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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4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
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 -2.6%
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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4.03/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured a black body with minimal head and an aroma that is boozy (bourbon) with dark fruits in there as well. Sticky, thick, boozy, there's some dark fruit tastes like plums, for example, and a minor bourbon sweetness (akin to vanilla) yet beer retains a woody smoothness and has a heated finish.

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4.54/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This one pours a nice dark black, with a fluffy mocha-colored head, and a good amount of lacing. Looks surprisingly lively.

There's a lot of both milk and dark chocolate on the nose, with spicy oak, sweet cognac, and roasted malt.

There's some really big and really delicious flavors here. It's lightly smokey, with dried bitter fruit, huge cognac barrel with spicy oak, vanilla, and tons of chocolate. This drinks like a big but lean stout. There's a lot of cool things going on here.

This is medium bodied, rich but not supremely thick, with a good level of carbonation for the style.

This is really exemplary beer. I can't say I knew anything about beer in Estonia before seeing this brewery locally- but I clearly need to keep my eye on this brewery.

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4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

330 ml bottle into snifter, best before 3/14/2020. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense tan head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, cream, cognac, toasted oak, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, date, citrus zest, light smoke/char, and roast/toasted/oaky earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt and cognac barrel notes; with great strength. Some increasing booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, cream, cognac, toasted oak, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, date, citrus zest, light smoke/char, and roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light roast bitterness and cognac/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, cream, cognac, toasted oak, brown bread, dark fruit, citrus zest, light smoke/char, and roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and cognac barrel flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Slight dryness from roast bitterness and cognac/oak spiciness as well. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, velvety, and slightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mildly increasing alcohol warmth of 11.5%; with a touch of barrel booze lingering through the glass. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged Baltic porter! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and cognac barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Pretty much perfectly balanced between rich malts and cognac barrels. Nice dried fruit complexity, without overwhelming the base style; with an amazing mouthfeel. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

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4.65/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bought bottle at local premium liquor store, chilled for one hour and then drunk out of snifter.

Appearance: Pours black with light brown and visible viscosity, one-finger head that quickly dissipates to light lacing.

Smell: Sweet roast malt, dark fruit (figs, plums), burnt caramel, light wood

Taste: Toffee notes on the tongue with light woodiness from the cognac barrels. I personally did not pick up much cognac notes but that may just be me. Finishes relatively dry with burnt caramel and roasted grain with lingering black coffee bitterness.

A nice Baltic brew that doesn't show up often in my neck of the woods. While pricey, I certainly enjoyed my bottle. Will have to try the regular Öö to see how it compares.

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4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Black color with mocha head. Aroma is sweet, malty with a nice brandy note. Taste starts slightly sweet with some fine spirit notes but it's not boozy, it doesn't burn at all, just a bit warming. Finish is more bitter and roasty with lots of dark chocolate flavor. Full bodied with smooth carbonation. Really good one with an excellent balance and well hidden ABV.

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