Baltic Porter Barrel aged Whistlepig Rye
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

On draft at Brew Bank Topeka. Poured an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of spicy rye, woody notes, toffee, chocolate and roasted malt. Sweet chocolate and toffee taste. Odd bitterness with spicy rye and oak flavors.

My bottle sported a 2019 date, so this is from the "resurrected" brewing of this beer. It pours a mahogany brown color, opaque, fleeting 3/4 inch tan head that falls to a ring and rafts. The liquid clings nicely to the glass. Not so much of a flashy looker, but it clears and becomes "prettier" as it warms up a bit.

Immediate yet light smell of the whiskey barrel followed by a little vanilla, wood, a little roast malt, a touch of chocolate and dried fruit that strikes me as cherry-like.

The taste opens with whiskey and slight spicy notes, plenty of smooth oakiness (assuming that is a word), chocolate, vanilla, ever so slightly sweet like molasses. Oddly, a boozy chocolate chip cookie is what I am feeling. The roast essentially disappears - the straight Baltic porter aspects are a bit in the background. Maybe a faint note of coffee. Still getting the dried cherry flavor, not so much the raisin/fig/date ubiquitous dark fruits.

Medium bodied, mild carbonation, a slight stickiness on the back of the taste. No alcohol burn.

The word I keep coming back to as I sip this is balance. This beer is absolutely on point with ample barrel character balanced by the porter itself, although the porter is a back seat driver. This is a delicious, flavorful, straightforward beer. Fine beer from Harpoon - well done.

 

 

22oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Mahogany brown color with tawny hues. Beige head soon settles into a thin slip. Tiny dots of lacing.

S: Big, decadent whiff of bourbon ball candy comes wafting right out of the glass. Chewy dark caramel top note, milk chocolate/tootsie roll impression, fruit skins (grape and fig, mostly), bit of leafy/earthy and tobacco-like hops. Oak and an earthy rye spice from the barrel. Bit of toffee.

T: Pretty much follows the nose exactly. The attack is all chewy caramel and milk chocolate, and these are the flavors that primarily drive the experience and provide the bedrock upon which all else sits. Fruity suggestions of grape skin and fig. Mildly earthy and leafy with a bit of tobacco spice. The barrel contribution is relatively soft-spoken, but not what I would call timid. There’s a fair amount of oak and rye whiskey spice that come out toward the back end, but they ease onto the palate deftly and build slowly without ever feeling bold or brash. By the time the finish rolls around it’s all rye and barrel, but you are never aware of the exact moment those flavors took center stage.

M: Medium-full body. Creamy, airy, and lithe with a whipped texture. Firm but gentle prickle of carbonation nips at the tongue. Whisky character is warming and soothing, but not at all hot. Very mild brush of tannin.

O: Hell of a beer, and barrel aged to perfection. It isn’t some gargantuan boozy, sticky, barrel-driven brute like so many other barrel aged stouts and porters out there. This is a lighter and more delicate base beer, and the nuance that is achieved is impressive. Texture and mouthfeel are great, and it feels supremely well-balanced. It’s an easy and pleasant drink throughout.

22oz. wax capped bottle served in my Bruery tulip. Pours the color and clarity of cola with a quarter inch, cream-colored cap embedded with pinprick and craters. Head quickly dissipates, coalescing around the edges and clustering in a corner. Ruby highlights are evident when backlit. Nose reveals notes of burnt sugar, vanilla, ethanol. Tate consistent with nose; however the vanilla really pops in the flavor profile and the ethanol only peaks out at the finish. Backbone is malty with notes of cocoa and roast. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body (closer to light) with a carbonation just shy of lively. That said, it comes off a little watered down. Overall, delightful with a well-hidden abv. I wouldn't recommend this for aging and actually think it might be at its sweetspot. I just wish the mouthfeel was a little fuller.

 

 

Puts an off white fluffy foamy med head with fair retention, good soapy lacing, dark but not very dark brownish black color with some light getting through

Nose big whiskey up front, juicy rye whiskey, vanilla and toasted oak barrel, sweet bourbon like, baking spices, some roast but not much, little dark chocolate, touch of dried dark fruits,

Taste brings more whiskey, a little spicy rye whiskey and sweet bourbon but not a ton, plenty of oak barrel and buttery toasted oak, more dried raisin like fruit, no roast but a little smooth chocolate and cocoa, little baking spice and cookie dough, light bitterness, touch of coffee, drier finish, smooth alcohol and little fudgey choc lingering

Mouth is med bod but a bit light for what it is, alcohol hidden well, med carb

Overall barrel and whiskey really came through, base beer was decent with the mild dark fruits and chocolate, but a little light overall, a bit of a bigger beer would have made this incredible

Dark chocolate color with a 1/2 F head.
Aroma: oak, whiskey, chocolate with warming.
MF: relatively smooth compared to other Baltic Porters which have a much lighter body.
Taste: with warming, 50°+, the taste broadens with more chocolate, oak, and whiskey.
Excellent Baltic Porter.

 

Lighter bodied than expected with the dark color.
Great dark color with a light head.
Smooth easy drinking with an awesome Bourbon after taste.

Highly recommended

Poured into a snifter.
The appearance was a nice looking burnt dark brown almost orange in the pour but yielded more of a darker brown close to black color in the glass. Head? What head, yup, not much there to be honest. Just a wispy semi-concave lace swarming at the clips of my glass.
The aroma seems to blend just right - nice woody barrel spice, some dark chocolate, some milk chocolate, subtle wheat (yeah, I know - weird, right? A Baltic porter has wheat in it?) Hmmm...I can tell it's there.
The flavor has a sly semi-sweet to subtle bitter and clipped roasty to toasty effect with a beautiful amount dark fruits rolling in for a wonderful balance. Nice aftertaste of dark fruits, dark chocolate, dark toast and milk chocolate.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sipping quality about it. Good smoothness rolling about. Some carbonation - enough to tell me it's good. Finishes a touch sticky.
Overall, I blame myself, yes, I should've waited longer, ugh, I suck. With that in mind I will still give this a good rating in good faith knowing that this aged will be more than stellar. I'd have again preferably in late 2020.

 

22 oz. bottle.
Brewed, barrell-aged, and bottled in Windsor, VT
Moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch very light tan head over a dark brown body with some lacing. Head recedes down to a ring and islets after more than a few minutes. Nose of the barrel mostly with bitter chocolate. Taste mirrors nose fairly closely with the barrel's vanilla, caramel, and oak represented nicely with the addition of a bit of the rye's spice. Good feel and overall, I've always enjoyed any WhistlePig barrel-aged beer from any brewery and this is no exception.
Cheers to Windsor and Shoreham, VT!!!

Poured from a 22 oz wax sealed bottle undated but a 2019 release.
A - Dark Mahogany color, gentle carbonation, thin off white cap, recedes to an archipelago, of surface proof.
S - Spicy Rye, bakers chocolate, a hint of smoke, vanilla, from the barrel
T - Follows the nose well, tight and delightful band of solid porter, and rye whiskey barrel treatment
M - Medium in body, sweet start rides into a nice dry finish
O - A very good offering from Harpoon, solid porter, barrel treated, enhanced quite well.