Marshmallow Island
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room

11.2 ounce bottle, bottled 19012022, best before 19012025. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with not quite an inch tan head that didn't stay around for very long. Small amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like dark fruit, vanilla, cream, chocolate and smoke. Taste is similar enough to the aroma, but there's also some marshmallow, earthy and bready flavors noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's coating and a little syrupy with a low/moderate amount of carbonation. Overall I liked this one, certainly worth trying if you get the chance!

The body I initially wanted was not there when cold. After warming the body is perfect for the style. Luscious, big chocolate and vanilla. Cocoa powder notes on the finish.

L: Pours dark chocolate, thick. No appreciable head. Held to the light, a dark umber hue.

S: Hints of vanilla, dark chocolate, and strong malts. Light notes of marshmallow, spice, and coffee.

T: Follows the nose - marshmallow is more pronounced. Smoked malt, lactose, vanilla. Light caramel and oak. Chocolate is fainter and towards the back, with trace burnt sugar. Finishes with a bit of heat.

F: Medium body. Creamy, velvety, and smooth mouthfeel - coating. Very drinkable. Light carbonation.

O: An outstanding Baltic Porter. No obvious weak spots. For its ABV, incredibly smooth and drinkable.

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a dark brown foamy head with some retention and some light lacing notes. Aroma of black chocolate notes with some vanilla and light smoked notes. Taste is also a mix of black chocolate notes with some vanilla and light smoked notes with some light residual sugar notes. Body is above average with oily texture and good carbonation with some alcohol notes discernible. Not bad but the mix of flavors is not as balanced as I would like.

 

11.2 fl. oz. bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and almost looks flat due to the lack of any effervescence.

It has a nice chocolate, toffee, and vanilla aroma. Smells like dessert.

It tastes just as good as it smells. Toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate, roasted malt, and subtle smoke.

Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel

Dangerously delicious for the abv. Tasty dessert beer.

 

On tap at Armsby Abbey

It’s been a minute since I’ve stopped by Armsby, and I figured I might as well since I have a little time to kill before my show at Palladium starts. So I ordered this just because it sounded fun, but now I’m realizing that it’s my first beer from Estonia. What a random country to have a beer from. Let’s get into it

Pours completely pitch black with a finger of creamy light tan head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose has a good balance to it, no hinta of the 10% ABV here. I’m picking up on aromas of milk chocolate, res grape, sweet vanilla, caramel, raisin, dark roast coffee, charred oak, and a touch of leather

It trends a bit sweeter in taste, but it’s still very good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting dark chocolate, sweet vanilla, caramel, sweetened coffee, raisin, brown sugar, light honey, and red grape. The swallow brings notes of milk chocolate, red grape, dark toast, dark roast coffee, charred oak, burnt caramel, light cherry, and vanilla

A medium full body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes off dry with just a hint of booze

This is good. There’s almost something Belgian about its sweetness, I dig it. Nice to have another country ticked off, an uncommon one at that

From the 11.2 oz bottle in a snifter. This solid little baltic pours
a dark black with dark brown highlights and a modest head of
khaki foam that sizzles to a thin ring. Nose of marshmallow cream,
dark chocolate, vanilla, brulee and char, and dark coffee. Flavors
expand on the nose with marshmallow cream, vanilla, dark rich
chocolate, dark coffee, earthy malt tones, and dark sweet fruits.
Mouthfeel is full, smooth, slick, coating, rich, lightly warming,
and finishing with a nice bitter malt note.

Overall----nice!

Cheers

 

 

 

 

Often asked what's our stranded-on-a-desert-island beer, and our responses may vary. But Pohjala Brewery has this scenario all figured out. An Imperial Porter laced with smoked malt, lactose and Tahitian vanilla, a marshmallow flavor starts to emerge. I just hope this island is built for cooler weather.

Very dark brown and topping off with a short, dense sandy froth, Marshmallow Island swoons the nose with chocolate, coffee, caramel, cream and French vanilla. Sweet to taste, the early flavors highly favor the malt and all its caramel, toffee, brown sugar and slight maple character.

With the more robust flavors of coffee, toast and campfire folding into the mix, the middle palate shows a cappuccino character with a sweeter dessert tone. As a mild mannered bitterness is soon to follow, the overall culmination of nougat and coffee leave a smooth and savory late flavor combination on the finish.

Full bodied, sweet and malty, the beer shows remarkable drinkability and smoothness with a velvety texture and a soothing latte character on a long, sweet and savory aftertaste. Hints of kahlua provide a warming balance to assist with the woodsy and nearly smoky char and hops.

26 Abril 2022. De Labirratorium. En copa Mahou Barrica. Brutal perfil a malvavisco bastante marcado pero que entra con suma facilidad gracias a un feel de lo más adictivo que hasta resulta ligera y fácil de beber

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a small, creamy head. Smells of roasted, smoked, caramel malt and notes of chocolate and vanilla, with just a hint of licorice. Taste is a good balance of roasted, smoked, caramel malt and strong milk chocolate and vanilla notes, as well as hints of licorice, tobacco and lactose. Finishes bittersweet, with a medium sweetness and some smoked malt, chocolate and vanilla lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a medium/rich body and light/medium carbonation.

While this is a little too sweet for my personal taste, it never feels quite cloying, with the smoked, roasted malts providing a decent balance here while the vanilla and lactose do not feel overdone. In fact, even though this could still be a little more smoked, it does what it sets out to do pretty well, with that roasted marshmallow character really kind of coming through here. In fact, with that strong chocolate note as well, this gives off a certain S'mores vibe to me.