Neptune
Threshold Brewing and Blending

The pour is pretty much stout black with a very tall tan head that leaves rings of lacing. Nice looking beer!
The taste, wow. Not certain it hits the style guidelines, but this tastes amazing. Chocolate and breakfast blend coffee and dark bread all combined to make an almost sublime experience. No hops bitterness anywhere near.
The feel is more viscous than other Baltic Porters that I’ve had, but the depth of flavor explains why.
OA, wow. What a treat.

Can from Belmont Station. Colour is basic black with a HUGE tan head! Nose is roasted mixed nuts, lightly burnt toast, and roasty melt. Palate is robust and firm with heady malt and bittersweet chocolate. The mid palate has char ash and quite the tannic feel . The finish is long, tight, warm and gives a strong bear hug on a chilly autumn night. This is the most true to form Baltic style porter I've had in a long time and it is truly a fabulous beer!

Poured into my hand blown Baltic glass from Tallinn, Estonia. Moderately sweet and brimming with plum and winey flavors. Smooth mouthfeel with adequate carbonation. Quite delicious overall with that distinctive Baltic Porter taste. Hints of cocoa and raisins, but different from the strong Stout family. I am even tasting peach and mango, unless the previous pFriem IPA has my taste buds confused. Highly sippable with the fruit and roasted malt flavors. Just enough bitterness in the aftertaste. From the 16 oz can purchased at Town & Country market in Shoreline. Dated 10/08/24.

 

 

Canned 30 Jan '24. Pours a slightly viscous very dark brown pour, no light passes through. Slight head, quickly fades to black. Nose is roasted grain, espresso coffee and a hint of licorice. Taste is on the dry side, more toasted grain. Finish is sharp with low carry-over. Carbonation is ok. The 7.5% ABV is hardly noticeable - a plus. All together, the beer comes up short on many of the attributes one expects to find in this style.

The beer's description on the BA data states the ABV is 6%. Given the current beer is 7.5% and two years has elapsed, we are looking at a new / reformulated recipe that doesn't live up to the earlier reviews.

L: Medium brown body with a reddish tint. Soapy head on edge of glass.
S: Soft and sweet. Bourbon, milk chocolate, marshmallow, and a hint of maple.
T: Follows the nose. Upfront bourbon, along with a touch of hops and hints of dark fruit, then becoming caramel and marshmallow, with hints of chocolate and plenty of coffee on the finish.
F: High carbonation, medium bodied, noticeable alcohol on the finish.
O: What a pleasant surprise this was. The barrel is plenty present in the body, but smooths out oh so nicely on the finish. Excellent balance, probably my new favorite porter.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a fine, two finger khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, cocoa, woody oak and faint dark fruit. Flavor is dark toasted malt with light char, woody oak, light whiskey, light cocoa and dried plums. Woody, toasted malt finish. Medium bodied with silky moderate creaminess. An interesting take on a Baltic porter. I'm not sure I've had this style as a barreled version before, but it is quite nice. The base has great porter malt with expected light chocolate and dark fruit, although both are somewhat subdued. The barreling is light on the whiskey but with some good woody notes. In the past, I've found that many moderate ABV beers do not seem to have the heft to survive aging in the barrel, so I'm pleased to see that this one has fared well. I think the whiskey mutes some of the dark fruit flavor, but the two components work well together. The tastes starts with malt and whiskey with the fruit developing slowly into a finish that is reveals a little cocoa along with the fruit. Like the milk stout I had from Threshold last night, the finish is particularly satisfying. Lots of flavor for the ABV. I'd still like to see a beefier, imperialized version of this in bourbon barrels. Well done.