Heavyweight Perkunos Hammer Imperial Porter

Formerly brewed at Heavyweight Brewing Company
Style: Baltic Porter
Ocean Township, New Jersey USA

thanks nhorween. had the DFH indian brown ale before this. opening and smelling the bottle really brought a smile to me. it’s got a deep chocolate smell, like when i’m biking in chicago and the chocolate factory aroma wafts over the river. there’s some bourbon character too. time to pour the beer. pour poors real thick with a surprising fizziness. thin head dissipates to a lovely small ring quickly. lagering yeasts? weird, i guess baltic porters, but not porters in general, use lager yeast. aroma is definitely chocolate and bourbon. flavor is really interesting. i let it warm up, and i’m glad i did. a bit of sourness on the edges of the tongue. some wood on the front end. alcohol surprisingly evident, but that comes with the wood territory. extremely smooth and soft. very round and complex beer. i wish there was a tiny bit more sweetness, but i’m happy with this. in fact i kinda wonder if it’s a little infected because my friends both found it plain and watery. plus it’s retired... anyways, i love it.

Tons of coffee and chocolate in the aroma. Thick black color and very little brown head from a rigorous pour. Body seems a little thin. Flavor is a little one dimensional. Just coffee and chocolate and a little watery. It’s tough to explain. It’s got a nice rich flavor but it’s very plain. i dunno. It just finishes very clean and dry.

Bottle (thanks to nolankowal). Dried fruit, smoke and alcohol aroma. Very dark brown with slight film of a head. Creamy dark chocolate, licorice, and smoky thick malt flavor. Mild astringent finish with high acidity and moderate carbonation. Very nice - baltic porters have been some of the best American beers I’ve tried over the past year.

big thanks to holdenn for providing this Mini vertical with 2004 and 2005 vintages back in december. Poured a black with little head. ’04 had some soy sauce notes but didn’t bother me, chocolate and dark fruits. ’05 had much of the same but richer chocolate. mouthfeel is thin. 04 has nice flavors chocolate, roast, smoke, licorice, and is clearly the tastier of the two. the ’05 is similar but isn’t as complex and seemed boring in comparison. i prefered the 04 but thought it was perhaps passed it’s prime.

Pitch black coffee look to it with a maroonish head. The body seems watery but the head is nice and thick. Smell is of sweet dried fruti (Raisons, licorice, and Cherries). Taste is a bit bitter at first grapfruit, and coffee then gets sweeter with a hazelnut chocolate taste with a hint of rasberry puree.

12 oz bottle

This was obtained in a trade last year. Thanks to whomever sent it - I decided the dead of winter (if that’s what you want to call this year so far) would be a good time to open it. My only regret is now that Heavyweight has closed my chances of seeing this ever again are very slim. Even if I do, it might be at a point when it is past its prime. Carpe diem and drink it now!

Aroma / Appearance - Cocoa, smoke and chocolate front an aroma that is laden with fruity notes of blueberries and plums. It is a very inviting aroma that tempts you to spend thirty minutes just soaking it in instead of drinking it. The body is very fluid - it is not as dense as I was expecting from an imperial/baltic porter but still very reaassuring. All light is trapped within the deep black body. You could swap it with most imperial stouts and based on appearance alone it would be tough to pick up the difference.

Flavor / Palate - Despite being a little thin, there is enough going on to make this a very enjoyable experience. It opens with dry malts and oats and a hint of coffee. That is soon followed with the taste of smoke. Finally fresh cocoa beans round out the flavors before a dry coffee finish. This is definitely a sipping beer that should be drunk over time to enjoy the full complexity. Thanks to the person who sent it to me - it was a nice treat.

Bottle obtained in a trade with Illinismitty... thanks Sean! Pours an opaque dark brown, almost black color with no head or lacing. Aroma is roasty and rich with coffee hints and a slight oakiness. Very nice nose! Flavor is bitter with lots of coffee hints. Very smooth and incredibly enjoyable on the palate. Finishes extremely balanced and enjoyable all around. Doesn’t seem to have a lot of watery notes that seem to detract from my enjoyment of porters. This is a great beer... so sad that it’s retired!! Thanks again for sharing this gem Sean!

An old review I found from 12/05. I had this on tap at the Society Hill Inn in Philadelphia, PA. It poured almost black with a thin tan head that had little retention or lacing to speak of. The aroma was roasty with coffee and a mild sweetness. The flavor was quite powerful with roasty chocolate and coffee bean flavors with a caramel sweetness. Alcohol is well concealed by the powerful flavors and smooth texture that, though thin, rounds everything out very well. Overall I enjoyed it enough to go buy a case the next day. Oh how I wish I had bought 6 cases! I cry a little bit everyday over Heavyweight :(