Schell's Baltic Porter
August Schell Brewing Company

Pours clear dark chocolate brown with a thick mocha/tan long-lasting head. Great lacing. Aroma is roasted malt and a bit of chocolate. Flavor follows the nose, no surprises, just malty goodness. Feel is medium bodied with good carbonation. Overall, another fine beer from the people at Schell's.

12 oz can from a variety 12 pk into a tulip glass.
L: SRM 28 pours dark leather brown color with some lighter tones at the base, steady light carbo, a slightly firm 1/2" light khaki head that recedes to edge froth, medium-light sticky lacing.
S: Cocoa, lightly charred grains, caramel malts, a distant dark fruit note.
T: Cocoa, light char, caramelized malts/grains, pine resin, grapefruit zest, a touch of dark bakers chocolate, resinous aftertaste and linger with a distant leather note.
F: Brisk medium-light bodied mouthfeel with a medium length drying finish and linger.
O: Easy drinking and delicious. Bitter chocolate and bitter fruits are well placed and are very balanced. Nice long linger. Would be a nice beer year-round. It is very good in its style.

2024 release, reviewed 2025:
Appearance: Clear dark brown, big head.

Smell: Roasted malts, a bit of coffee, bit of minerality.

Taste: Moderately roasty start, then keeps going with more roasted malt, toasted bread. A bit of coffee bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied.

Overall: Only available in a mixed pack, this could stand on its own as a fall or winter beer for Schell's. Not too strong, nice balanced flavor, another great beer from Schell's.


2017 review/release:

Appearance: Clear dark brown, Big head.

Smell: Sweet, raisin, plum, earthy.

Taste: Sweet, dark fruit, caramel, earthy. Reminds me of a combination of Belgian dubbel and doppelbock.

Overall: Picked up a single to try. The Baltic porters I've had in the past were much more driven by roasted malt flavors or imperial stout-like. This one was much more fruity and sweet tasting. Interesting and different.

 

 

12oz brown bottle, sample from the brewery.

Beautiful dress of lacing on the glass, dark brown hue that shows some clarity. Toasty and slightly roasty malty nose. Deep smoothness within the medium body. Malty and slightly sweet, kiss of roasted malt but more toasty. A little light for a Baltic Porter and I'm not talking about the size but the roastiness is a bit tame. Good balance and drinkable, just expected something a bit more here.

 

 

I think this is pretty spot on for a Baltic Porter. Drinks and tastes slightly like their incredible Schell Bock.

Toffee, caramel, and a hint of nuts on the taste..

Dark fruits emerge more on the aroma....darker malt aroma leaning toward molasses.

Medium to full bodied. Not immense but certainly carries enough heft....Body is about the same as their Bock.

I really like this and could handle kicking back 3 or 4 of these on a cold January Night

 

 

Clear brown color with minimal head but leaves a lot of spotty lacing down the glass. Aroma of chocolate, nuts, and earth. The flavor consists of nice chocolate notes that is complimented by figs and earth. Mild bitterness. The body feels a bit watery however but is nicely carbonated. Not the big porter some may be looking for, but is very nice.

First off, $1 a bottle! What a steal.

Tan head with lots of lace. Dark caramel brown color.

Caramel, toffee, raisins, figs, molasses, and brown sugar. A lot of malty sweetness. Chocolate with a light roast.

Medium to full bodied. Smooth and creamy.

A very nice baltic. Easy to drink with lots of flavor.

 

One of my first baltic porters... Pours a perfectly clear amber-copperish, and forms roughly half a finger of dense, tightly-packed beige head with a vaguely orange/stained tint. The head has excellent retention, and leaves appropriately intense lacing. Complex flavors; dark fruit, sweet, nutty, bread, honey. Finish is slightly (just barely) bitter with a mild finish. Very, very good, but light for a porter. (Maybe not for a baltic?...) Medium thin body, a little slickness to the beer, drier in the finish. Similar taste to a bock beer in schell's bock series. But this is a very nice crafted beer.

As noted on the bottle "chocolate and stone fruit" and that's pretty darn right on for both aroma and flavor. I add a little coffee in there too, maybe even a bit of caramel. Nice looking beer that is more dark red to brown than black. Some nice lacing on drink marks. Full dark head. Some nice drying on the finish, almost powdery. A little thin but then it drinks closer to a lager than a heavier ale. Seems on the lighter side of style. This isn't the biggest, richest, most complex version, rather fitting this brewery's hx of making highly drinkable beer. This fits that.