The Sun’s Gone Dim and the Sky’s Turned Black
Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co.

 

Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co. "The Sun’s Gone Dim And The Sky’s Turned Black"
1 pint can, seemingly without production codes or freshness dating
$3.67 @ State Line Liquors, Elkton, MD

Notes via stream of consciousness: This is a Baltic porter that's been aged for 3 months in an oak foeder. It has the typical appearance with a black body and tan head, although the head retention could be better. Usually oak-aged beers lose a little bit of that though so I'm OK with it. There is some oak in the aroma, and nothing sour. It's got dark malt with a bit of chocolate, and some fruitiness. Ahh, there's even some cold black coffee there. There's a little something weird going on based on the fermentation but it's not that strong and I doubt most people would be able to detect it. The flavor follows with added caramel, nuttiness, apples, berries, and a touch of dark fruit. A firm bitterness balances it and it finishes dry with dark chocolate and black coffee fading to leave a little bit of fruitiness behind. Clearly, the oak aging has lent some dryness to it as well, but there's not a lot of oak flavor. In the mouth it's medium to medium-bodied and remarkably smooth with a low-level carbonation. The trade-off to that is a limited head retention and no lacing. In the end, although it is an enjoyable beer despite the slight off-note and limited carbonation, there's just not a lot of oak character to take it to the next level. Interestingly enough, there were probably quite a few beers like this in the past due to the fact that wooden fermenters were used well into the early 1900's. I think it's worth trying but be forewarned that it's really not that exciting.
Review #7,621