Perkuno's Hammer
Bar Hygge / Brewery Techne

This is a fabulous Porter, unique but not strange, which combines a slightly syrupy consistency with surprising dryness. Maybe that’s the contribution of the mysterious Roman beans (it’s a long way from Riga to Rome) in the mash bill. Pours a dark bronze, close to the color of the Fender P-Bass that my pint glass currently stands next to. A bit sad that the initial head dissipates, but that’s in keeping with the mead-like qualities of this brew. It smells like spruce to me, the lingering aftertaste of burnt something is quite pleasant. This is a mature, fully developed beer, not experimental, a great beer for pondering over, and yes, the best effort yet from Hygge Techne Brewery, which thankfully is crawling distance from my house in Fairmount, Philadelphia. Overall, just about the best beer yet from a Philly brewer. If you see it, get it.

Brewery Techne "Perkuno's Hammer"
16 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating

Notes via stream of consciousness: It's poured a very dark brown body beneath a yellowed-tan head. Held to the light you can see lighter brown highlights at the top and bottom of the glass. The aroma is cocoa-ish, chocolate fudge-like, roasty, nutty, and lightly sugary. The taste adds in some dark-skinned fruit (black raisin, dried date, dried fig), demerara sugar, brown sugar, a drizzle of molasses, chocolate wafer cookies, mild black coffee, and some Ovaltine. It's sweet but balanced by a firm bitterness, and the alcohol has a mild presence that helps as well. In the mouth it's medium-full in body and gently crisp as expected. Style-wise it's right on, but the head didn't hold up very well and there was very little left in terms of lacing. It's rich but not overwhelming, remarkably easy to drink, and completely satiating. This is exactly the kind of beer that I want as an after dinner drink before bed, or as a sipper while reading yet you could really drink it at anytime as long as you take it slow. Fantastic!
Review #9,013

The contents of a pint can just fit inside a clear glass Imperial pint mug. The porter is almost black coffee brown and the modest head is tan. The aroma produced by the pour is practically all roasted barley malt. The mouthfeel is excellent, rich with the roasted malt. The taste gets a healthy dose of it, too. There's a pleasant surprising sweetness up front, then the roasted aspect, with a hint of hops and alcohol, level that off. Overall, this is deliciously full flavored, remarkably rich and smooth and good at hiding a sizeable ABV. It goes so smoothly, that might lead to a little trouble. There's even that hint of black licorice that some of the great porters can bring. It's probably not easy to find, brewed by a relatively small local brewery in Philadelphia. But, if you like the style and the opportunity presents itself, this is a must try. Truly the best effort so far from this brewery.

 

 

I tried this on tap at The Standard Tap in Philadelphia. It poured an opaque dark with thin tan head which dissipated over time and did not leave any lace. The scent had hints of earth and roast. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a decent beer.

 

 

i almost always order a baltic porter when i see one. its a style that just isnt done all that much, and it offers so much room for variation in ingredients and process, no two of these ever seem to be much alike, and i dig that. this one is brewed with roman beans, which i have never heard of as a beer ingredient, and i wonder what they contribute. maybe an earthiness, a starchy property, its tough to tell, but the beer is great, with a lot of chocolate malt to it, a crisp lager yeast strain that flavors the beer nicely, and a phenomenal smoothness to the mouthfeel that makes this one a winner. it is very light in body for the style, drinks down easy for its strength, and doesnt seem quite as complex as i thought it would for containing a highly unconventional ingredient. i get a chestnut sort of wintery nuttiness that is great in here, dry cocoa, and a german hearty bready vibe. the beer is very well made, fermented down pretty dry with the lager yeast, and excellent overall. this place is awesome t hang out at, and their beers were all really tasty. wanted to taste more beans i think, but whatever they do in here, it works.