Heavyweight Perkunos Hammer Imperial Porter

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

This was an excellent beer, similar in character to an imperial stout but not as heavy or quite as hoppy as some. Black, thick and somewhat fruity it has an interesting flavor, almost a touch of sourness or lactic bite that was unusual. I didn’t notice that in any other rating, so I don’t know... Anyway, a fine example of this style, if perhaps a little heavy and stout-like. Recommended.

Bottle from <a href=/ViewUser.asp?UserID=6181>Dorwart. This is such an underappreciated style. Pours very dark red/black, with almost no head, but it’s easy to summon with a little agitation. Semi-sweet chocolate really comes out in the nose. Underneath, there’s a subtle layer of sour, tart, dark fruits (fig, cherry) as well as licorice. Tart, but sweet mouthfeel, pretty different. More semi-sweet chocolate, coffee grounds are the easiest to spot. The next sip is sour and tart with the chocolate covered cherries. The next is a little metallic. The next is a bit like a nice port. And so on and so forth. The finish is tart and sour. I was surprised that despite the tartness, it was not bitter or dry at all. Very good, and one I’ll look for again. Thanks, Jason!

NOTE: All bottles in sampler case developed visible bacteria growth shortly after purchase. The second Perkuno (original rating was of first bottle opened) poured had clotted cream white scum on the beer surface, and the putrid, cheesy aroma of diarrhea diapers. The following rerate is of brewery-fresh beer provided courtesy of Heavyweight. Pours dense, completely opaque ebony without a molecule of foam. Deep, roasty coffeelike nose, plus chocolate wafer cookies, toasted pecans, and cocoa powder. Milder aromas of cherry, almond, oiled leather, and alcohol. Big, soft, roasty/nutty malt flavor accented by licorice, bread dough, berries, cola, buttermilk, and ethanol. The ethanol presence becomes more intense, especially in the aroma, as the beer warms. Finishes with a pronounced citric tartness. The sour elements conflict with the dark malts, to some degree. Palate is thick, syrupy, almost oily, with a slight alcohol sting; it coats the mouth like paint. Absolutely zero carbonation... come to think of it, every Heavyweight brew I’ve tried has been undercarbonated or flat. Quite mild aftertaste suggests instant coffee, dark chocolate, wet newspaper, and dust...lots of dust. Definte staling and oxidation taking place. Inferior to the first bottle I rated. Last bottle 03/07/06 Still thick, oily, and lacking CO2. Some horrible poopy aromas emerging like a shoggoth from the deep. Extremely oxidized; bland except for very stale soy sauce and vinegar sourness. Oy! *** Original rating below 11/8/2005. Numbers were 8, 3, 9, 4, 18, 4.2 *** Leaves the bottle in an oily, near-black stream. Wisps of putty foam. Fruity, nutty aroma: stawberry preserves, blackberry, toasted pecan, toffee, and hints of leather and marjoram. Malty! sweet flavor starts with boysenberry and black cherry, ends with bittersweet chocolate chips and roasty black malts. Full-bodied, smooth, chewy and juicy. Mild and delicious afterglow of cherry, tobacco, anise, mint, tar,and grain alcohol. Warm and fuzzy ethanol. Holy cow! Almost Jaegermeister-like. Makes me wish this was a snowy winter night.

Pours a thick dark brown and settles black with minimal head. The aroma is strong, with roasted and coffee malts. Malts are sweet and smokey. The flavor is full, there is sweet malt and roasted malts that are clean crisp and sharp. Distinct flavors bounce around. A bit of a fruit and bananna presant. Roasted malt is mixing with sweetness and the roasted flavors sit at the back of the throat. Finishes full with a nice roastedness.

Compliments of Degarth

Mild licorice and anis candy aroma. Dark body with tan head. Medium sweet malty flavor. Left a dried fermented fruit aftertaste for some reason. Decent brew.

Mixed ratings on this one. If you get this one fresh and drink it right away it’s tremendous...4.5 overall, or maybe more. But if it sits even a little bit it becomes a bottle of sweet thick gunk. Yuck.

Boozy, pruney aroma. Appearance dings for the label and the twistoff. Lemony and astringent on the lips. Coffee in the finish. Strong and not very complex - tart, medium light sweetness, creosote, soy. At the current rating of 97 percentile, this is highly overrated.

Black with a dissapearing brown head. Rich, bold and sugary aroma of cdark chocolate, coffee, marzipan and peppery alcohol. Warming flavour of sugar, dark chocolate and black coffee. Coffee beans, dark chocolate, sugar and with some spicy alcoholic notes in the long finish. Feels rather "european" to me.