Château Noir
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room

Poured from the 11.2 oz bottle, with a BB date of 28.1.2026.
A - Noir indeed, deep dark brown, with a thin ring of assembled spheres. a swirl shows the offerings viscous nature.
S - Dark chocolate, dark cherry, a bit of black pepper, red wine elements without any tannins.
T - German chocolate, cherry jam, bakers chcolate, white pepper, rich Bordeaux elements.
M - Sinful, luxurious. Slick on the palate, with a pleasant finish, linger is spicy and weeks long
O - A spectacular offering with every element as advertised. I will be looking for more

Copenhagen 17/5 2023. 40 cl from tap at Taphouse, Lavendelstræde, Kbh. K.

Pours opaque dark brown with a mid-sized beige head. Stable. Settles as thin layer of foam unable of covering the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is fairly intense with a sweet roasted odor of dark malts mingling with earthy notes and dark alcohol. Toffee and caramel. Leather and tobacco. Sweet Sherry and tannic acid.

Light carbonation. Thick, oily, creamy, soft, viscous smooth, a bit flat texture.

Flavor is intense with a strong sweetness followed by a moderately strong bitterness. Aftertaste is rich and sweet. Lingering. Finish is sweet lumumba.

Sweet potent Barrel boozer.

 

 

Bottle: Poured a black color porter with a medium size dark brown foamy head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma of chocolate malt notes with some vinous notes and oak and light residual sugar notes. Taste is also a mix of chocolate malt with some dry vinous notes and light Xeres notes with faint residual sugar notes. Body is about average with good carbonation and light discernible alcohol notes. Good dose of complexity in this wine barrel-aged porter.

Aged in 2017-18 Bordeaux barrels & Pedro Ximenes barrels.
Black is black. There is some foam. Brown.
Important smell, wood, red wine, chocolate, vanilla, liquorous notes, cherry in alcohol, cocoa.
And a better taste, very clean. Same notes, alcohol hidden, round and smooth in a spectacular mode.
Vinous notes, a lot of vanilla and chocolate. Almond.
Very smooth, and with a lot of taste.
Great balance.
Great beer!

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a thin khaki head that dissipates to thin, sparse patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, molasses, bakers chocolate, fortified wine and a touch of red wine; lightly oxidized. Flavor is dark toasted malt, dates, raisins, molasses, sherry, well dried plums, oak and touch of red wine tannins. Rich lingering semi-sweet dark malt and sherry. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess; silky mouth feel. A almost didn't get this one because I'm not a fan of red wine flavors in stouts/porters, but I'm glad I did. The barrel influence is much more fortified wine dark fruit than the more astringent tannins in red wine. Which is just right because a good Baltic porter has pleasant fruit notes. This does not have the cherry notes I've found in many Baltic porters, but there are good dark fruit and the sherry adds more fruit notes. I've really enjoyed just about everything I've had from Põhjala and it makes sense they could push the envelope on a Baltic porter and make it great, as they did. A world class brewery I wish I got to see more of; it used to rarely come into the Northwest, but the last few bottles I've found were in Southern California.

11.2 ounce wax capped bottle, bottled 28122021, best before 28122025. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. I like the aroma, the brew smells like dark fruit, red grapes/wine, chocolate, oak and dark berries. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some earthy, burnt/charred malt and smoky flavors. Dark fruitiness/wine flavors stand out to me without overpowering everything else. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and a bit syrupy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this one was pretty good, recommended more if you really like dark fruit/red wine barrel aged beers!

A - Dark brown pour with thin, soapy caramel colored lacing.

S - Toasted cocoa, oak, some red wine, and light alcohol.

T - Toasted cocoa, red wine, oak barrel, a slight bit of soy, a little bit of leather, and lingering Bordeaux with toasted cocoa.

M - Light syrupy body that's silky smooth and light warming on the way down.

O - This is fantastic and recommended.

this is astoundingly good, one of the best ive ever had from these guys, which is saying a lot, everything they do positively slaps. ive had this around awhile, but its not hardly oxidized at all, it tastes incredible. also one of the more unique beers in this style space ive encountered in some time. my bottle had black wax, not the white pictured here, but same beer from what i can gather. aged in high end red wine and sherry barrels, super cool! i love the base being a baltic porter too, i dont taste lager yeast in this but i feel that sort of cold conditioned patience in here, and it doesnt present like a stout, its slower, mellower, older, i dig that aspect of this even if its hard to be precise about. black and leggy pour, short but lasting near inch of mocha foam, lots of body and viscosity evident. the aroma is insanely complex, huge berry tones from the red wine, im talking prune and plum, raspberry and black cherry candy, heavy red wine and port wine, and big chocolate layers in there too from cake to baking chocolate, but its not as sweet as im making it sound, quite dry actually, lots of roast here, a hint of smoke, some warming alcohol. the flavor too is barrel forward, a little woodiness and spice from the sherry aspect, but its red wine notes first. black pepper, fig, raisin, and licorice. red grapes, black currants, wet soil. lots of oaken maturity here, super smooth in body, and better carbonated than anticipated without it feeling rushed or accelerated in any way. palate coating flavor, near permanent on my tongue even without a ton of residual sugar. plenty of alcohol too as it warms driving the flavors deeper. some bitterness from the roast, some fruity sweetness, decadent without being diabetic. ive long thought of de molen as king of the exotic dark beers, but these guys are right there with them. this is as good as it gets for me, epic barrel treatment here, one of my favorite beers from an exceedingly beery weekend! wow!

Near pitch-black body, forms no head.
Aroma of molasses, licorice, leather, cassis, a bit woody.
Flavour is deep, rich chocolate malt - fudge sauce, rum, marshmallow, cassis, port wine, date cake, mexican raw chocolate; minimal, superfine carbonation, sticky feel but well attenuated for the style, with a pleasant alcohol heat in the finish providing balance to the sugars.

Overall, well balanced with rich, dark malt flavour, complex and interesting, not overly cloying.

Amazing beer! The pour is jet black with a minimal deep tan head. There is bourbon and chocolate in the nose. The mouthfeel is smooth and thick--incredibly substantial. But the taste tops all--all cherries and chocolate like a liquid Black Forest cake. Other dark fruits like figs and raisins are present, as well as robust deep red wine. An absolute gift to your taste buds.

Decent baltic base overwhelmed by sherry sweetness, a bit of wine in the finish. Surprisingly drinkable. above average mouthfeel. Thick look about it.

 

From the 11.2 oz bottle in a snifter. This excellent porter pours a
coal black with a dark brown head of foam that settles to a thin ring
and light dusty layer with subtle lacing and nice legs. Nose of vinous wine,
dark chocolate, subtle smoke, char, dark dried fruits, and oak. Flavors
follow the nose with dark fruit notes of fig, raspberry, cherry, date, raisin,
rich wine, oak, subtle smoke, char, and leather over dark bakers chocolate
with a dash of soy. Mouth feel is full, smooth, coating, light carbonation,
lightly slick, warming, and finishing with a bitter malt note.

Overall----WOW

 

 

Bought a bottle of this beer at my favorite beer shop in Dallas.

This is a wonderfully rich and flavorful beer, and smooth as silk. The smell and taste is that of tawny red wine, dark chocolate and dark berries. The smell and taste opens up as the beer warms. This is a very satisfying and comforting beer.

Great smell, cool color, tastes great , feels pretty good, love the bottle