Baltika 6 Porter

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

Deepest brown black with red tint, nice tan head that faded. Faint aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, and alcohol. Flavor is initially of gentle chocolates, quickly fading into a soft roasted flavor. Nothing really jumps out at you, but it is a decent brew.

Bottle purchased at BevMo in Vacaville. Kinda surprised I have never rated this. Just realized this after reading grant’s review. Aroma is quite pleasant with a great deal of cocoa, anise, and sugar cane. Quite quaffable. Modestly hazy mahogany-amber body with a medium tan head with adequate lacing. A little sweetness to start, before this becomes more anise-like with some definite underlying choco and coffee tones. A bit musty. Finishes pretty burnt and bitter with a deal of hops. This is pretty good stuff, which is a touch of a surprise.

Bottle, 04.25.04. Pours thick looking and nearly black; medium brown head that lingers and coats with lace. Aromas are sweet, dark maple syrup, raisin, dried cherries, roadwork, rich, ripe wines. No alcohol on nose. Disappointingly, I get no feeling that I should be expecting an unctuous Baltic brew. Flavor seems to lose alot of the aroma's sweetness, but a burnt, slightly smokey edge takes its place. Wine-like tanins come into play across the middle of the flavor and palate. Palate is murky, dry, and somewhat muddled. Lots of raisin, including a tart finish. I wish there was a bit more sweetness to round this beer out at the end; still a pretty tasty brew even if it is dishevelled. (later) As the beer warms, an unpleasant, lingering astringency evolves from the tartness. However, the wine-like qualities of the nose and front really shine to make this, if nothing else, an interesting beer. Still, I am let down by this beer that I was really looking forward to tasting.

Dark black beer with burgundy edges and a medium grayish tan head. Great big malty nose of burnt caramel, roasted chicory, chocolate, rum raisin, and a hint of smoked meat. More rum raisin and smoked ham in the flavor. Nice subtle tanginess ties this together very well. Toasty caramel aftertaste lingers. This is great beer.

From an old Cellar’s tasting note sheet.I found my sample of this beer to have a bland aroma but detected hints of raison in the flavor.

Sweet malts and a bit of molasses, but also something adjuncty in the smell. Deep black with a three finger thick head. Looked lovely in a tulip glass. Nice steady release of gas and the head is as creamy and fluffy as you could ever hope for. Burnt dates is the dominant flavor with ample alcohol notes. It’s not very big flavor wise even though burnt flavors tend to dominate a palate this one does not. It feels so good though and looks so perfect you want to fogive the lack of big flavor.

Hmm, my first Baltic Porter. Bottle. Aroma of brown sugar and dark malt, vague background sweetness, perhaps a memory of toastmalt. And a touch of alcohol. Coal black with a medium-dark brown head. Chewy with and earthy with strong molasses and roast and treacle and brown sugar, dry with medium bitterness and a little (good) ash. Alcohol gives good structure here, but the body will never be characterized as anything thicker than medium. Crisp, almost spicy. Roasty taste reminds me more of an abbey ale than a porter, just a little harsher and thinner. Medium bitterness. Roast malt, dark chocolate, coffee is imagined but still part of the profile, raisin. Seems to have been reasonable well balanced. Quite dry molasses finish. Not bad, wouldn’t want to finish the whole bottle, though.

bottle, pours a very dark brown/black with big khaki head, nose is malty coffee and almond, flavor is very much coffee and dark fruits with a nice vanilla extract finish