Foothills Baltic Porter

Brewed by Foothills Brewing
Style: Baltic Porter
Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA

Dark beer much like there stout. Almost no head, but who cares. Great coffee taste, and you can definitely pick up on the warmth from the 9%. Its debatable which is better here the porter or the stout, but you cant go wrong here either way.

From a growler provided by Jamie the brewer at the Knoxville Brewer’s Jam. Pours black with a thin tan head. Full roasty malt aroma comes easily, bringing bitter chocolate and a touch of coffee with it. Flavorwise, the bitterness keeps the sweetness in check, letting all of the roast malts and chocolate work the tongue with a sweetness that is comparable to unsweetened chocolate. Smooth and creamy. Hides the alcohol very well. Very enjoyable brew.

Well after hearing from various folks who had tried this beer at beer festivals that they seriously questioned it’s claims of 9% ABV I decided to figure it out for myself the only way I knew how......BY DRINKING AN ENTIRE GROWLER OF IT ALL BY MYSELF!!!!! What I see is a nearly black beer with a nice chocolate colored head. So far, so good. I often like stuff that looks like this. The aroma hints at bitter chocolate and dark roast. Definitely dark chocolate in the flavor and definitely some roast malt. Then there’s the coffee. Now I like coffee flavors in my beers and this beer has that. It’s not dominate but it’s there. But here’s the thing, the coffee flavors do sort of remind me of the poorly made, overly done, pretty much burnt coffee that you get at substandard coffee houses all over the U.S. That’s what keeps this beer from being mind blowing. Now keep in mind that I’m nitpicking. I find this beer to mostly dominated by bitter chocolate. It’s the slight presence of bad coffee way in the back that holds this one back but it should by no means prevent each and every person alive from bugging Foothills about making more of this. Hats off to what is probably the most consistently awesome brewery all things considered in NC. Oh yeah, and now that I’ve finished the growler.....this shit’ll git ya drunk! 9% seems reasonable.

$3.50 for the 10-oz.high gravity pour. Pours a rich molten chocolate brown, borderline inky black. Frothy tan head formed easily and reduced to a thin cap that stayed around for the duration of the glass. Laces intermittently. Aromas are roasty with plenty of bitter dark cocoa and what I swear to be a hint of smoke. Less fruity than the other NC baltic from Duck-Rabbit. Smells roasty with char. More roast in the flavor with ample chocolatey malt and what I perceive to be a dash of black patent. Coffee bean notes. Dry finish. Again, less fruit here. Solid mouthfeel. Dry aftertaste. A whisper of smoke. Very drinkable. Alcohol is virtually absent. This ain’t no 9% beer....is it

Pours out black with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted malts and semi sweet choco. Flavor was very nice with lots of roasted malts. Very nice brew, but a little thin. I expected this to be a bit thicker.

Draft at Charlotte Oktoberfest 2006. Black colored pour with a tan head. Smell is heavy on coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, and some fresh hops. Taste is smooth and rich, though perhaps a little bit thin. Sadly, this tent was right beside Duck Rabbit who was also serving their baltic porter. Duck rabbits is better, but this one is really good in its own right. This is a pretty special brew, I wish i was able to buy this locally, but sadly I cant see that happening. These guys need to start bottling their beers.