Baltika 6 Porter

Brewed by Baltika Brewery (Baltic Beverages Holding - Carlsberg)
Style: Baltic Porter
St. Petersburg, Russia

I will weigh in with the thought that this beer is deeply under-rated (3.46 as I rate in January 2004). Pours a deep deep color, black and brown with just a bit of a swirl of head. Though I poured it when too cold, the alcohol propelled a robust aroma, mocha coffee-like with a later sense of just a bit of grape/port fruitiness. The first taste made me exclaim, "YUM! Liquid Chocolate!" to my wife, and she agreed that it held an appealing chocolate flavor, which settled into deeper roasted malt notes when it warmed a bit. At the very end some alcohol came out but this was very minor. The body is excellent in the porter style, rich and soothing. I found it very easy to drink this beer way too fast. Fantastic.

Rich black beer with frothy thick lasting tan head. Lots of toasted malt and molasses, very masculine aromas. Soft, caressing mouthfeel like a sincere kiss. Lingering flavors of caramelized walnuts, balsamic, and Turkish coffee. Quite pleasant, but more muscle than it needs.

Dark reddish brown colour with a little nice head. Strong aroma of roastedness and alcohol. Also flavour of soft maltness combined with roastedness and alcohol. Ends up very alcoholic and with a touch of chocolate.

Dark, nearly black, no head, no lacing. It has an aroma of alcohol and roasted malts. Somewhere between a light and medium body. Tastes very sweet and malty, with a tad bit of hop bitterness...coffee flavor, evident alcohol. Not a bad beer, and it's cheap price may get me to buy it again some day.

The aroma is sweet with molasses, cola, and burnt malt. The appearance is dark brown with a foamy head. The flavor has all the elements from the aroma plus a chemical bitterness and a medicinal quality that really hurts it. The palate is thin. It looks like and smells like it’s going to be great but the taste is not even average. Avoid.

On the poor ebony in color, the head monstrous in size, spumous in texture, the color a light chocolate, after it erodes a thick and glutinous sheet of lace clings mightily to the glass. Mostly malt in the lightly sweet nose, fresh and clean, the start sweet and malt-laden top is skeletal in feel. Finish is mildly carbonated, hops pleasant in their spiciness, very dry, some what tart, and a drinkable beer, but not really anything to scream about.

Raisins, smoke and creosote. Inky. This brew really grows on you as you drink it -- sweetish for a porter, you get a good presentation of raisins/prunes in the flavor. Mild aroma. Good palate, with long clinging patent malt bitter and an acidic/raisiny finish.

Sampled from bottle at Danish Beer Festival 2004 (#40).
Almost black beer with a tan head. Sweet chocolaty aroma - typical porter. Flavor of sweet roasted malt, milk chocolate and bitter hops. Not very strong but tasty!