Cellar Series: Honey Laku
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room

Copenhagen 22/2 2020. 33 cl capped and waxed bottle from Mikkeller Web-shop. Dark label with yellow glimpses of light and a strange photo of a pair of hands in yellow rubber gloves.

Pours opaque, dark brown with a small light beige head. A bit bubbly. Settles as thin patch of foam unable to cover the surface of the beer.

Aroma is intense, sweet but with a potent spicy, bitter, woody vibe. Sweet honey, brown sugar, molasses. Sharp odor of dark alcohol. Bourbon and port wine. Light salty whiff of peat and tobacco.

Light carbonation. Medium thick, soft, smooth, fat, almost flat texture.

Flavor is intense and has a strong sugary sweetness. Moderate spicy, boozy bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet. Lingering. Prominent presence of alcohol.

Potent, rich and not so soaked in honey it becomes cloying.

 

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of black cholate notes with some bourbon and light Xeres/vinous notes withs some light berry notes. Taste is also a mix of black chocolate notes with light residual sugar and bourbon and Xeres/vinous notes with some berry notes also perceptible. Body is full with good carbonation. Complex mix of flavours which is enjoyable though a little bit overwhelming at time.

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a large, creamy, mocha-colored head. Smells of slightly roasted and caramelly malt, strong dark fruit and berry notes, as well as some chocolate and hints of vanilla and oak. Taste is an excellent balance of slightly roasted and caramelly malt, distinct dark fruit and berries, with notes of plum, blackcurrant, redcurrant and white grape, as well as lighter chocolate and hints of vanilla, honey, licorice and oak. Finishes bittersweet, with a light tartness and some dark fruit, vanilla and oak lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium/rich body and medium carbonation.

A really nice double-barrel-aged Imperial Porter where both the Sherry and Bourbon barrels are quite noticeable due to some fruity berry, vanilla and musty oak notes, while the additives stay a bit more in the background here, which is not necessarily a bad thing at all. The blackcurrant comes through most distinctly, integrating itself very well into the general dark fruit and berry notes, while the honey and licorice seem a little more muted, but still definitely add to the overall flavor profile here. Overall, there's a great, understated balance of flavors to this that feels quite mellow, although not without a certain complexity.

L- Totally black, not a photon gets through even held by a halogen bulb. Pours with 3mm deeeep tan head.
S- Coffee/cocoa...
T- Coffee/cocoa, in balance, neither dominates the other. The cold smokey edge of next-morning log-fire cinders. (Yep, as a child cleaning the ash/cinders from our family fireplace hearth was a regular pocket-money job for me, and this is the smell I'm reminded of!).
F- Pungent! Don't serve this too chilled, give this one space to really open up. A good autumn/winter beer, enough to sate the palate. As it warms a touch the richness is building and I think the rich vs pungent balance is improving. ps I just noticed the labelling suggests serving at a relatively whopping 12-16C! Wish I had noticed that earlier!... [left to warm for 5mins - yep, flavour really intensifies further...].
O- A big statement beer, and so it should be for £7.45/330ml bottle. Essentially a BIG cocoa/coffee porter. The lables waxes lyrical about the other details, whisky barrels, liquorice, and so on.... I'd happily drink it again, but man it comes at a price. Bought from TremblingMadness/York/UK for home delivery. 330ml bottle £7.45. BB: 17/10/2022

 

Bottle at Las Buenas Pulgas, served in a snifter glass. Black color, medium beige head that fades slowly to a thin layer. Some sticky lacing. Aroma of honey, Pedro Ximenez, dried and black fruits, licorice, vanilla, cocoa. Full body, sticky texture, good carbonation. Sweet finish. Taste follows the aroma. Great beer.

L: Jet black color, one finger brown head, nice thin lacing, no visible carbonation.

S: Sweet, honey, oak, alcohol. Nice!

T: Sweet, honey, oak, alcohol. Very good.

F: Medium to full bodied, lots of flavor.

O: Very good, sweet imperial porter.

 

 

Got this from the Duvel guy in Utrecht

From a 33cl bottle into a snifter
Imperial porter with heather honey, liquorice root and blackcurrants, aged in Pedro Ximenez and Bourbon barrels
Cellar Series

APPEARANCE: Black pour yields a two finger, medium looking, frothy tan head with good retention. Black body with higher levels of carbonation evident. Head slowly crackles down to a full wisp cap with piles of carbonation coming up the middle. Swirly wisp remains leaving decent lacing down the glass. Solid looking, but a little over carbonated for the style.

SMELL: Big nose on this one, with lots of red wine, grapes and other dark fruits, licorice, honey, and notes of vanilla and milk chocolate on the nose. Bourbon is there as well. Nice stuff.

TASTE: Wood and oak flavors, some whisky, licorice and dark fruits up front, with bourbon, dark fruit sweetness and red wine at the swallow. A bit watery perhaps, but okay. Medium finish of whisky, wood, red wine, some dark grapes, licorice flavors and some notes of sweet vanilla and milk chocolate linger on the palate.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy enough on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes a touch drier for the style. No real heat lingers. Solid feel.

OVERALL: This is okay. The nose was rather pleasant, but the flavor didn’t quite follow suit, falling a touch flat. The look and feel work, however, making this enjoyable all around. Worth checking out if you’re a fan of the brewery, and especially if you like wine barreled stouts, which I definitely do, but it’s not quite as good as it wants to be. Still, this will do the trick for the wine barreled stout fan. Cheers!