Lagerkoller
Thin Man Brewery

Copper with a 1" tan head, which lasts. Moderate lacing.

Aroma of toast, caramel, coffee, roast malt.

Taste is caramel, molasses, coffee, roast malt.

Medium body, light carbonation. Semisweet finish.

A very nice Baltic Porter.

 

 

A: The beer is very dark brown in color and nearly seems to be opaque except when it is held up to a bright light when lighter shades of brown are visible near the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of roasted malts are present in the nose along with notes of candi sugars.
T: The taste has flavors of dark, roasted malts along with hints of candi sugars.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This Baltic Porter seems to be a little lighter in body compared to other beers in the style and is easy to drink.

Serving type: can

 

Can dated 04/05/21, so about 6 1/2 months old and rated taking that into account and, since it is a one-off, there isn't going to be a newer batch

L: Beautiful. Dark, inky black with a faint dark brown aura when held up to the light. A moderately aggressive pour results in a loose foamy khaki colored head that slowly dissolves into a ring and islands.
S: Here's where the age starts to tell. The aromas are faint. There is faint dark chocolate, faint black coffee, faint sweet malts, a very faint fruit which might be apple or cherry
T: Flavors are a slightly stronger version of the aromas. Cold black coffee & dark chocolate are the primary flavors with a slightly sweet/slightly fruity undertone
F: Moderate carbonation gives a tingle across the tongue. The feel is a little sharp with a hint of creaminess around the edge and leaving a mildly bitter aftertaste.
O: The only problem with Lagerkoller is the age. For some reason Thin Man & von Trapp decided to put out a Baltic Porter in April, at the end of the "season" for this style of beer. This is still a fine, pleasant, above average Baltic, but it has become unbalanced and lost the smoothness it obviously had.
Lagerkoller is a good Baltic Porter, but it must have been an excellent one when it was new.

 

 

16 oz can.

Pours a dark cola brown color with 2 fingers of creamy khaki head. Moderate retention. Leaves a wonderful crown of lacing around the glass.

Lots of dark roasted malts and burnt coffee on the aroma, with plenty of dark chocolate, caramel, and raisin bread. Floral hops hiding in the back with some mild vanilla and black licorice.

The flavor is softer and sweeter than the nose. Loads of caramel, vanilla and raisins with some roasted malts, coffee, milk chocolate, and licorice with a very faint floral hop finish.

The feel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Ridiculously smooth. Alcohol is almost non-existent.

Overall, this is a great baltic porter. I've never had anything from Thin Man before but I'm well acquainted with von trapp. Definitely impressed with this one.

 

 

From the 16 oz. can dated Apr 05, 2021. Sampled May 29, 2021.

The appearance is about as dark as it can get. Dark brown to jet black with a small tan head.

Rich caramel malts, chocolate, cream characters on the nose with a hint of ash and floral hops.

Light-medium but very smooth body.

The taste is sweet and malt forward with a little less of that chocolate in the flavor. But it is there. Ends with a slight floral wisp but generally cream and chocolate through and through. A good example of the style.

 

On tap at Unter Biergarten in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a dark black color, with a small head, and a good bit of lacing.

This smells like dark chocolate, milk chocolate, dried raisin, roasted malt, licorice, and coffee.

Both of these breweries are very good at lager-making, so I'm not surprised that this came out quite nicely. It's complex, with little subtle notes of dark fruit and licorice, along with the more typical roast/chocolate/coffee flavors of a porter.

This is medium bodied, pretty creamy, and quite drinkable, with no real hint of any booze.

stoked my buddy sent this out, a collaboration with von trapp and a very unique take on this underappreciated style. its lighter than many from a malt and roastiness perspective, but still is real sturdy, just different, its like a porter meets a dopplebock, very german on the grain side, hints of molasses and raisin in the mix, more than the usual dark notes of chocolate and coffee, although there is a lighter java element in the mix here for sure. there is some apparent sweetness up front but its dry later on, definitely lagered, the feel is right and i can taste the yeast, euopean to me, long an patient on the ferment it seems, this is almost crisp for what it is, which doesnt make sense but its true. a little umami thing going on, and a autumnal vibe as well, smoldering campfire embers or something warming and outdoorsy about it. dried fruit and light smoke to finish, really smooth in texture and well carbonated, enormously complex without the low end bitterness that is common in these. i get a litte soy and a little tobacco as it warms, and a bit more from the yeast, very impressive overall quality and a really clever take on this style. neat that these two got together, i do not associate either of them with dark beer like this, so this was totally unexpected. absolutely delicious!