Cellar Series: Dark Times
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room

Pours pitch black with a few dark brown bubbles atop, which then get swallowed by the darkness of the liquid.

Smells of dusty grape soaked wood, mild camp fire and elegant cinnamon among a rustic, almost meaty malt foundation.

Got a fuller body with just a lighter carbonation spark, becoming visible during the finish of this.

Tastes of earth and bakers chocolate covered molasses with a pinch of salt, together with melting caramel and spicy old wood, inheriting a certain warmth together with ripe grapes. Offers even more spicy chocolate then, highlighted by a wooden, delicate cinnamon appearance, blending well into the rich, moldy and warming barrels of this. Finishes with a spirited, throat warming dryness resulting from the well integrated barrels, adding toasty coffee beans, flowery vanilla, as well as dried red currants to the complex, pleasantly sweet malt backbone of the beer.

A real treat with a great, satisfying balance to it, nice mouthfeel and very fulfilling complexity.

 

just absurd beer again from these guys, who seem to make about a million stouts and porters, all of which are so distinct and amazing, this one is an imperial stout, possibly with lactose as they call it a sweet stout, aged in sherry and rye barrels, seemingly forever, tons of both on here, and the flavors and textures of this are second to none. these guys are like de molen in a way, my highest compliment to a maker of dark strong beers like this! near black, absurdly viscous, with a short but lasting espresso crema looking head, same color and texture. long legs on the edges of my glass, and aroma of dense coffee, black licorice, earthy spicy, high end sherry, and near burnt barley, the faintest almost english ale yeast thing here too, super cool and really deep, impossibly complex to me, woody with a hint of vanilla, and whatever sweetness is in here immediately seems necessary for balance, no attempt at making this dessert beer or anything, dark times seems like the right name for it. the flavor is so complex, the sherry dominates up front for me, well of course along with the dark roast of all the specialty dark malts and roasted barley, its sweet for a second, umami too, and full of oak, honey, vanilla, and even orange peel notes, then it moves to the malty middle where i get toffee and licorice and black tea and dark chocolate, then at the end its the peppery rye, more wood, coffee, campfire smoke, and brown sugar, really dynamic and layered beer, and totally palate coating and enormous in terms of feel, but not too sweet to want to drink a bunch of. the sherry and the rye together are an elite combination, and they make this beer unique. the booze is warming but never distracting, and this seems like deep winter cozy juice. these guys are killing it in a really wonderful way, great to have such remarkable beer in an increasingly samey style space, i adored this, and am sure it will cellar with the best of them. love all the sherry on it, the way the rye makes it spicy, and the smoothness it unfolds with. world class.

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a small, fluffy, dark brown head. Smells of slightly roasted and caramelly malt and distinct chocolate and dark/red fruit, with notes of raisin, fig and red currants, as well as hints of vanilla and oak. Taste is an excellent balance of slightly roasted, caramel malt and rich, dark and bitter chocolate, distinct dark fruits and red berries, with vibrant notes of raisin, fig, red currants and cranberry, as well as lighter musty oak, licorice, vanilla and spice, with hints of black pepper and allspice coming through. Finishes with a medium sweetness and some dark chocolate, red/dark fruits, vanilla and spice lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and medium carbonation.

Although their last Cellar Series honestly came as a bit of a disappointment to me, this is Pohjala at their best once again. There is such a superb balance of the Sherry and Rye barrels going on here, with the Sherry dominating just a little bit perhaps, but both of them adding their their unique characteristics very distinctly here. The Sherry bringing those fruity notes with a certain sweetness and the Rye offering some vanilla, spice and oak accents, while the base beer provides a rich, dark and bitter chocolate presence as well as an equally well-balanced mix of roasted and caramel malt. It's sweet, but not too sweet, never feeling cloying or sugary, warming, but not overly boozy. Overall, this makes for a very enjoyable, rich, complex and well-balanced sipper that only improved as it warmed, making me I had taken it out of fridge even earlier than I did.