Baltika #6 Porter
Baltika Breweries

Found in a Jon's in Burbank. Nice niche porter in the middle of the valley.

Pours pretty black and yet has a clearness around the edges that looks like cola. Minimal ring of head around the edge of the glass.

Aroma is stone fruit, malt, cherry, bit of sweaty leather. Sip is thin syrup, chocolate, anise, dead yeast, no kidding potato and sweet beets. There's a graininess that I'm attributing to borsch. Not getting the toffee others note unless it's the cheap stuff in CVS. This has a mouth feel of thin stout (as most porters do), with a grainy end, you can tell by my description this is a bit rough but goes down smooth enough. 7% is completely hidden, not hot or burny.

Interesting porter with more rough edge than some overly sweet variants. Plus, now I've checked off Russia in my "countries you've had beers from"!

 

 

Ebony with a 1/2" tan head, which lasts. moderate lacing.

Aroma is a bit muted: Coffee, roast malt.

Taste is caramel, coffee, toffee, roast malt, a bit of sweetness.

Full body, light carbonation. Semisweet finish.

Outstanding Baltic Porter.

 

 

 

 

 

Caramel, chocolate, and roast on the taste buds. Medium mouthfeel. Caramel and toffee on the nose with a slight coffee note. 0.5 liter bottle. Served in the bottle at a Russian restaurant in St Paul, MN.

 

 

 

 

 

500 ml bottle, from Løvbjerg, Ikast. ABV is 7.0%. Black colour, ruby in the highlights. Large beige head. The aroma is bready and moderately roasty, some fruity hints too. Pleasant and smooth flavour of moderately roasted malts, black bread, mild coffee, chocolate and caramel, but not too sweet. Very moderate hops. A beer I might well buy again.

Very dark brown, with no light leaking through. 2+ fingers of finely-textured tan head.

Smell is brownie batter, but slightly less sweet, a little cola, and some roasty malt aroma.

Taste is roasted nuts, cola, brown bread, and slight earthy char. Light , pleasant bitterness. A slight woody note as it warms.

Feel is light-side of-medium, with light, very fine carbonation tingle. Drying finish.

Overall, a good, basic Baltic porter . I wish it had slightly more carbonation, but that's a minor point. Best By date is 6/20/20 , but it's still good.(Bottling date : 6/20/19) If I think to look at it, I'd definitely try it again, younger. It's held up well , even though it wasn't refrigerated at the store.

 

Look: black with a medium mocha head

Smell: not much going on, a bit of malt, some yeast

Taste: some chocolate, malt, a little bread

Feel: smooth

 

 

15.89 oz bottle PRODUCTION DATE 16.02.20 BEST BEFORE 16.02.21 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 7% ABV. The beer pours very dark brown with chocolate tan colored head. The head recedes to a thin cap. No lacing. The aroma is mild in strength and offers roasted malt with hints of caramel and dark fruit. The taste is semisweet tangy roasted malt with more dark fruit and dark chocolate. The finish reveals a little caramel and closes with mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is watery, although it approaches medium body, with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good. The watery taste & feel are a disadvantage for this beer. It does come together somewhat as it warms.

 

Best by of 2/15/21 - solid Baltic porter and very drinkable - the best of the three Baltika beers I've had so far - and also just the most solid for the style... Dark roasts are mildly bittersweet with a hint of anise... Very nice...

 

 

Delicious.

 

Look. Dark brown to black, medium khaki head.
Smell. Dark roasted malt, dark dried fruit, raisin, prune, etc.
Taste. Sweet, brown sugar, molasses, brine, licorice, toasted bread, slight acrid bitterness on the backend.
Mouthfeel. Slightly thick, oily, (in a good way).
Overall. Such a good example of the style. I wish all of their beers were put on n the dark brown bottles. Price-wise this is a steal at $2.39 a bottle. Very nice.

 

Poured from a pint bottle into a snifter glass
Appearance – The beer pours a deep brown color with a one finger head of off-white foam. The head has a decent level of retention, fading over time to leave a small amount of streaky and foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is very strong of a roasted malt mixed with a good deal of caramel sweetness and a little bit of a char aroma. Along with these smells comes some lighter notes of cocoa and a touch of vanilla.
Taste – The taste begins with a very malty roasty taste that has a little bit of a caramel and vanilla sweetness upfront. As the taste advances the roastiness stays very strong, while the sweet fades a bit. At the same time there is a woody and earthy flavor that begin to develop with a touch of a molasses joining in as well recovering a bit of the caramel and vanilla loss. At the very end a hint of alcohol and a decent hit of char hits the taste buds, leaving one with a nice dark and roasty taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is somewhat on the thinner side in terms of thickness and chewiness for a 7.0 % abv porter, with a carbonation level that is rather average. A tad more thickness and a bit less carbonation may have been slightly more appropriate for the style and the roasty/slightly boozy/drier toasted tastes of the brew, but overall rather decent.
Overall – A nice example of a very roasty and somewhat drier finishing porter. Not over the top of chocolate and caramel/molasses like may porters. Quite balanced and easy drinking.

 

aged 3+ years
sublime, nirvana simulation inducing, and an absolute benchmark experience for me personally.
I will say that trying a different one, fresh, had not nearly the same effect. I recommend letting this one sit a while. well worth the investment.

From 470 ml bottle into pint glass. Also had one straight from the bottle. L. Impressive black, very dark brown with khaki head to about 1 cm that doesn't last long. S. There is something, but my nose doesn't pick up much. Slightly fruity, maybe a touch of sweetness. T. Subdued, but some malty, fruit sweetness and finishing dry. Tastes less than it looks. F. A touch of tingly carbonation but generally smooth. O. The impressive looking bottle and look in the glass out perform smell and taste. I will drink again, because such a great looking beer, but a little underwhelming.
P.S. As I have drunk through the carton I have enjoyed this more and more. Rich, deep, sweet flavour, maybe molasses/treacle but not cloying. Will definitely drink again. Have upped my rating a notch.

A bit too sweet, but good staff.