Slow And Low
Cloudwater Brew Co.

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a large, fluffy. mocha-colored, lasting head. Smells of oasted, smoked, slightly caramelly malt, some chocolate, as well as hints of dark fruit and herbal hops. Taste is an excellent balance of roasted, smoked, slightly caramelly malt and grassy, herbal hops, with some chocolate and tobacco, lighter dark fruit, with notes of plum and fig, as well as hints of tobacco, ash and licorice. Finishes with a light/medium bitterness and some smoked malt, chocolate and herbal hops lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium/rich body and medium carbonation.

While an "Imperial Smoked Baltic Porter" might sound like a kind of over-the-top amalgam of styles, Cloudwater/Donzoko pull this off so well here, with a really subtle and nuanced balance of smoked malt and herbal hops, as well as notes of chocolate, dark fruit, tobacco and licorice lending a certain complexity to this, while the ABV is hardly noticeable at all. I really love that subtle balance of smoked, bitter and slightly roasted, sweet notes here, while managing a great depth of character at the same time, finishing quite dry, with a good body and mouithfeel as well. Overall this really makes for an exceptional, complex, yet subtly balanced brew that pulls off what they were thrying to do here incredibly well.