Online Tasting: Baltic Porter Day (10th Edition)

Lvivske



A lot to like here. First off it’s a smidge pale-r than its cousins but the body is the same. I would argue it drops off a little of the char, roast malt bitterness in favor of that pub-ale-esque maltiness. Not Vienna altogether but it runs those same circles.

Builds out into malt sugar, some breadiness, a hint earthy with booze. Caramel and fig sort of play together but quite harmoniously. It’s never one or the other always both.

I get a breath of cardboard right at first sip but you acclimate. I don’t think it’s age, I think it’s something in the water “bill”.

All in all a lot to like here but it won’t over throw Zywiec for me. I like it much more than Black Boss.

 

There’s absolutely no way I could participate in the Baltic Porter appreciation thread and not have the standard bearer!

 

Currently at West Side Brewing. The beer on the right is mine...a Krampus Coal...a Baltic Style Porter with whole vanilla beans added.

Cheers!

 

Imperial Oak brews a Baltic Porter every year, Ragnarok 9.8%, and rests a good portion in barrels.



This years seems more coffee forward than I remember, but still delicious. The taster is this year's Jeppson's barrel aged variant.

on to the review...
12oz draft pour into a snifter shows a dark colored body; granting leave to little light, and floating a thin cap of tight bubbles that flee to the edge. Agitation produces generous lacing that, again, quickly flees to the edge.

Aroma is coffee forward, specifically dark coffee and the bitterness in the flavor matches. Some fruitiness also appreciated. I don't drink coffee, but I believe coffee beans can exhibit fruitiness. I can't pick out a specific fruit, but the coffee flavor has more than just bitterness.

Mouth feel is medium, yet nearly creamy, and welcomes another sip.

Overall a fine example of the style, and I am happy to find it so close to home.

Thank you, @beergoot , for hosting. Keep up the good beer.

 

Here's a pic of my Polish lineup. I'll provide reactions to the first three and will make a separate post for Karmi Classic since it doesn't really belong with the other three.

First off, I've loved this marketing event. I've always undervalued "Baltic porters" since my reactions to them usually fell into one of three categories - I either felt like I was drinking an under-attenuated beer, or a beer lacking in personality, or an excuse for a lager-centric craft brewer to make a flavored stout. Well, this tasting has made me put a focus on these beers and I've come around and now value them quite a bit. Such a change feels like the perfect outcome from such threads. On to the beers...

The Zywiec porter was a very pleasant surprise even though I've had this beer a bunch of times over the years and more recently than the other two beers. I've finally learned to appreciate it as more than just a "value buy." Compared to the other two beers, I thought it was layered rather than cohesive. It was very dry. Bitter, roasty, a touch of smoke, and a touch of fruit. It's an easy drinker for its size. In the end, I was surprised by how much personality it had.

Browar Amber / Browar Rzemieslniczy (I don't know which is proper) "Grand Imperial Porter" is the least alcoholic of the three at 7.2%. This beer only dates back to 2008 (the company only goes back to 1994). It was super-fruity (stone fruit/cherry) to the point of being an outlier. It's smooth with no angles. A bit of acidity and some roast in the back.

Witnica's Black Boss was possibly my favorite of the three - although so far in this thread it has only been brought up negatively. It was very unique. It had a licorice and spice character. Silky, thick body. Bitter. Clean.

 

Released: October, 2020
Decanted: January 18, 2025

---

• Collaborators:
  • Anders Kissmeyer (Danish brewmaster)
  • Shaun Hill (HF)
• Style: Baltic Porter
• Grains: Pale, Caramel, Chocolate, Rasted Barley
• Process: Hand-Smoked Over Native Woods [Originally Maple via Anders)
• Hops: European [EU]
• Fermentation:
  • Yeast: Lager
  • Aging: >4xMonths via Stainless
• ABV: 9%

---

 

Karmi Classic

Since I was trying to collect Polish porters for the thread, I thought I'd include this "beer" to provide some variety (apologies for the "better late than never" pic with little left in the glass). It's a non-alcoholic beverage made with some roasted malt. It's made by "Carlsberg Polska" at the Okocim brewery. It's VERY sugary, but not heavy. There's an odd astringent finish that actually aides drinkability. I'd be curious to try this alongside a malta to see the similarities and differences in the drinks. This one tastes like somebody put a lot of sugar in a watery coffee. The description sounds bad, but it's better than it sounds. An interesting drink.

 

Einstok Toasted Porter

I failed to get a pic of this one. My only non-Polish beer for the thread and probably my last beer for the thread. Compared to the Polish offerings, this one just couldn't win my attention. At a measly 6% ABV, this beer was unsurprisingly light bodied in the company of the other beers. It's dry and roasty. The added coffee (mercifully) seems to be used very sparingly. I must have had this one in the past too. I suspect I'd think better of it if I wasn't drinking it with the Polish beers.

 

Thanks @beergoot for reminding me I had one of these badboys in the cellar!

This one was bottled in 2022, so not very old.

A lot of folks enjoying the style this weekend already... wow!

Never had this one before, but I did enjoy the raspberry version. I'm a sucker for that combo.

My beer is served cold. I like all my beer cold. I like this beer.

Could have waited for snowstorm tomorrow to add more aesthetic. Oh well.

I didn't light my fireplace to take my beer pic, so you'll have to pretend I did. Here they are both in action.





My style fave was from Smutty. Local no less, surprised to see in top-10. Drank a bunch of it.

• Baltic Porter | Smuttynose Brewing Company

Cheers Everyone! Enjoy them Baltics...

 

Grande Cuvée Porter Baltique by Les Trois Mousquetaires

I didn’t realize this was happening but had this last night and recycled the bottle, so sorry no picture. But this was an amazing Baltic porter. The cherry wood addition only served to add depth to the deep and complex dark malt tones. Highly recommend!

 

Can't get a pic to work (operator error) but I'm having a delicious Oo Cassis from Pohjala. It is an Imperial Baltic Porter with blackcurrants. Very smooth with a little tartness from the berries. 10.5 abv but I can't taste it. Thank you Estonia!

 

And from Jacks Abby
Lovely Baltic Porter
Smooth, a bit of milk chocolate, hint of espresso, a bit sweeter than the Zwiecke
Nonetheless a lovely lager
Cheers all

 

Figured I'd have one more Baltic Porter, not my first time trying this one:





A not quite traditional one, Hoppin' Frog's Brother Kazoo Mix Dirty Chai Baltic-Style Porter is a good one especially if you like Chai. Cheers again!

 

Probably wouldn't be in this tasting if it not for @KP7 sending me this beer a few weeks ago. As soon as this tasting came up I knew to save it, cross posted over in NBW as well.

A style I've only had a handful of times, both by choice and options available; so I'm happy to dive into this beer and this tasting event. This beer almost reminds me of an imperial stout but in lager form, which to me is a dangerous combination. Here is my contribution to this tasting thread, thank you for volunteering to host this one @beergoot.

Jack's Abby - Framinghammer (Baltic Porter 10%)




Darkest of brown; really nice looking head, light brown, soft puffy and creamy looking, great retention, gives some lacing too.

Nose bittersweet chocolate with dark fruit undertones, lightly burnt toast, roast notes show more as it warms.

The taste is dominated by roasted malt, its dark chocolate heavy but there is a milk chocolate aspect to it as well; get a bit of that dark fruit character on the finish; but more like an espresso shot that carries acidic dark fruit character.

Medium to full body, luscious, lightly warming in the chest; incredibly creamy feeling carbonation; bitter char on the finish, that warming sensation just lingers, almost pleasantly after the sip goes down.

This beer is super rich and luscious yet also drinks so easy for its big ABV; I can feel this one going straight to the dome though, so I, and others should proceed with caution when drinking this big delicious beer.

 

Excellent read, thanks for the reviews
Cheers

 

Brasserie Cambier (France) Baltic Porter

I reviewed this brew some time ago, after having it on pub draught. The bottled offering is also quite good. I sampled a pair of them tonight for your satisfaction.

Pours with good foam that hangs around for most of the experience. It feels traditional, very Euro, (brewed in Croix, north France) with pure ingredients. There’s a particular elegance and precision in the lagering process that shines in the senses. I get a fruity element, with distinct caramel and spice on the nose, featuring whiffs of licorice and, perhaps, herby thyme.
Taste brings dark roasty malt, coffee, tobacco. All flavor.,. but wish it had more of a kick, being ‘just’ 8% ABV. Clean finish, low bitterness.
Smooth in the mouth, low carbonation.
Overall, a pleasure to sit and sip this gem that demands my attention as I’m trying to watch football.

 

Thanks for hosting the tasting this weekend @beergoot , and thanks for proposing the tasting and for your Pints and Panels post, a concept I have loved over the years, and for both of your beer selections and discussions. Enjoyed catching up with the thread and reading about the selections and notes this afternoon.

Debated about going to a second store for a local selection, but I'm sticking with my two selections from the Polish grocery store which several months ago purged their vast catalogue of stale beers possibly as old as a few years to have a more compact but hopefully fresher European stock.

Picking the more widely distributed of the two today, with a second, also from Poland, that I wasn't familiar with until coming across yesterday. Both are "straight, no additive" selections, no barrel either. The current tally @cjgiant I have is 23 standard offerings versus 10 either Barrel Aged (8 - with or without additives) or standard with added flavors (2).

Zywiec Breweries PLC (Heineken) Zywiec Porter

4.06/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25



Full review linked above. Full New Beer Weekend treatment linked here.

Summary comparison to other tasting notes presented this weekend:

@TwentyDimes - Pronounced roasted coffee, excellent weight, definitely not overly sweet, quite balanced overall, an old school style that I dig.

@zid - Layered rather than cohesive. It was very dry. Bitter, roasty, a touch of smoke, and a touch of fruit. It's an easy drinker for its size. In the end, I was surprised by how much personality it had.

@ChicagoJ - Bitter dry bakers chocolate, pumpernickel, lightly roasted coffee and caramel. Dry and bitter, drinks easier at first than approaches the strong 9.5% ABV. A very solid enjoyable Baltic Porter.

Nice example how you can pass a beer in the store for years, and get rewarded for finally finding a reason to pick one up. Thank you Baltic Porter Day for giving me the proper nudge.