Anniversary Ale XIX Baltic Porter
Real Ale Brewing Company

 

 

Bought it from a local liquor store in a 22oz bottle. Bottle says 2015, so I assume it was sitting there for a while.

Drank it chilled in a high-ball glass. Color is dark brown, almost black with a thin brown head. Mouth feel is smooth and full without being cloying. The most dominant flavor is sweet maltiness followed by a good balance of roasted character, light carbonation and a touch of bitterness and alcohol warmth.

Overall: Really good. It's a full-flavored and balanced beer that doesn't try to be crass or over-the-top. I'm seriously considering buying out the rest of the stock at my local store, since it's a limited run.

 

 

Appearance: Deep amber in color, with a modest, dense, cream-colored head. Intricate broken lacing adorns the glass walls. The head retention is quite good.

Aroma: Burnt caramel, bitter cocoa, coffee, and home-made dark bread dominate the aroma. There is a subtle undercurrent of sweet and spicy alcohol, although the aroma is far from boozy. A slight presence of herbal hops presents, in a quite restrained fashion.

Taste: Begins with burnt caramel, bitter cocoa, and dark bread flavors. Soon after, a mildly warming presence of spicy alcohol presents. As the taste rolls on, the dark caramel vies with cold and bitter coffee notes. Late in the taste, there is a slight flourish of sweetness. Finishes with a lingering, slightly bitter and burnt malt flavor.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, full, pleasing.

Drinkability/notes: Really excellent, a fine exemplar of the style. Too bad it is a one-shot, though it seems to be readily available in Austin. Note to Real Ale, couldn't we see this as an annual release in six-packs, for late autumn and early winter. This would be superb with a holiday dinner.

Presentation: Packaged in an enameled, twenty-two ounce brown glass bomber with a pry-off crown, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice.

 

 

 

$ 7.49/22 oz bottle ($ 0.340/oz) at HEB #45/108 San Antonio, TX
Undated bottle at 50 degrees into hand washed and dried shaker
Aroma – weak roasted malt
Head large (6.5 cm, aggressive pour), light brown, frothy, rapidly diminishing to eight mm ring and frothy partial layer
Lacing – fair. Medium size clots of foam adhering like stalactites
Body dark brown/black, opaque
Flavor slightly sour, a little malt; no hops, no alcohol, no coffee, no chocolate, no diacetyl
Palate medium, slightly creamy, soft carbonation

Appearance 4, Aroma 3.25, Flavor 3.5, Palate 3.5, Overall 3.5

Was expecting more flavor! Kind of basic porter on the lighter side. Almost a black lager taste and I expected more from an anniversary brew!

 

 

 

 

Bomber poured into a pint glass.

Appearance is dark brown/black with 100% opacity. The head is moderate with one finger thickness and some lacing around the glass.

Smell is chocolate, dark fruit and lightly roasted malt. A small quantity of alcohol is present as well.

Taste is roasted malt with dark fruit (cherries), tobacco and chocolate noticeable. There is a caramel/molasses-like finish in which the alcohol is well hidden.

Mouth feel is lighter than expected with good creaminess (very smooth) and little bitterness. The carbonation is light to medium with noticeable but not overpowering sweetness.

Overall, this Porter has great flavor with good balance between dark fruit, roasted malt and chocolate. However, the mouth feel is lacking and the sweetness, although not over the top, could be toned down a little. It would be difficult to drink more than 1 or 2 glasses, but this is enjoyable after a long day at the office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bomber poured into a mini nonic glass.

Frothy oatmeal-colored head and sticky lacing. Dark brown body that looks black in the glass. 4

Chocolatey nose and bready, caramel malts. Light floral hop aroma as well. 4

Tobacco-y flavor and a dark chocolate and caramel mix. There's a swirl of dark fruit that emerges that's tasty too. 4.25

Lighter bodied than expected, but drinks smoothly. Carbonation is light to medium and a very light molasses sweetness. 3.75

I like the tobacco kind of profile and hell, just the flavor in general. Damn good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black pour with a brown one-finger head. Nice bitter dark roasted flavor with a good bit of chocolate and a hint of vanilla. Finishes with a slightly burnt malt flavor.