Vistula
Charles Towne Fermentory

 

 

16oz undated can poured into a pint glass shows a deep, dark, ruddy, cola colored body and briefly supports a 1/2" head of chestnut brown mixed bubbles that dissipates to an edge ring and an otherwise clean glass.

Vanilla, cocoa, and roast malt aromas entice a long quaff rewarded with roasty bitterness that leans more on cocoa than coffee bean. I was reminded of the importance of serving temperature here. As I was first enjoying the beer, right out of the icebox, I was thinking it was a nice, maybe lighter, milk stout, if not pastry even. Roasty notes were clearly in the cocoa and not coffee realm, and the vanilla highlighted some sweetness. This was odd to me. I was looking for some edge, maybe carbonation, but something. I had to look at the guidelines to be reminded that dark chocolate aroma is allowed, but it was the fruitness I was missing. Thankfully for both this beer, and my memory, warmth and time brings stone fruity notes, and the vanilla points more toward caramel than milk chocolate, which help to steer clear of pastry land.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth and tries to dry, with mixed success.

Overall an easy drinker that toes the sweet/bitter line, but a little more carbonation would go a long way.

 

Roasty/toasty with a little residual sugar. An excellent Baltic Porter.

 

 

 

This was under carbonated for sure. Virtually no head with a vigorous pour. The mouthfeel was a little thin.

Nutty grains with a slight tartness, faint cherries. A dry, cocoa finish.

Ink black body; lively, popping carbonation at the top of the body; initially thick head and then a small patch of a fat soapy, bubbly head. Huge aroma of cocoa and minty spiciness; coconut; subliminal oak-like quality. The taste builds on the smell; vanilla; a very slight alcohol presence; mild chocolate; roasted and charred grain elements. Heavy body; smooth and slick on the palate; muted boozy warmth; nice blend of residual sugar sweetness with alcohol dryness; perhaps a bit of grain char astringency.

The lack of a lasting head is my big gripe with this beer, but otherwise, the aroma and flavor plus mouthfeel are fantastic. The beer certainly has that lager yeast smoothness with the mouthfeel. Overall, a smooth, rich and complex beer.