Koff Porter

Brewed by Sinebrychoff (Carlsberg)
Style: Baltic Porter
Kerava, Finland

Bottle shared by mikemac at the oak cafe. Poured w/ a big brown head and very black appearance. Aroma was a little chocolatey. Flavor was pretty sweet with some chocolate in the finish.

Bottle. A well lagered one from 1999, opened at Christmas 2005. Pitch black colour, small mahogny head. Sweet caramellic and roasty aroma with alc. and bitter chocolate. Smooth, roasty flavour with bitter chocolate, coffee, raisins and plums and alcohol. Long aftertaste. It really pays off to let some of the dark strong brews lager for some years, hidden away cool and dark.

Mineral, caramel, and yeasty nose. Pours a thin brown head with slight lacing. A dry, ashy, malt-husky flavor. Not a bad porter by any means.

Spledid porter from the Findlads biggest brewery. Propably the best store-sold porter available in Finland.

Very dark and very rich with cocoa. the nose overwhelm the smells of dark roasted malts and caramel. Even though it has high Alcoholic content, it does seem to hit me as other strong beer. perfect for a night cap

Pours black with a thick creamy/frothy light brown head. Strong sweet aroma of dark fruit, cognac, and light caramel. Flavor is more subdued, light bakers chocolate, some roasty black coffee, very light hints of dark fruit, and a nice bitternss on the finish. Palate is meduim with some roasty malts and mild bitterness lingering. Pretty solid/balanced brew, but I expected more from the powerful aroma.

Bottle. Pours black with a significant brown head. Nice molasses and roasty malt aroma. Creamy medium body with light carbonation. More molasses in the taste along with chocolate and coffee. A touch of espresso and pine in the exit that builds a bit as I get closer to the bottom of the glass.

1999 vintage I wish I could say I had the years of knowledge, the due diligence, the foresight, the experience, and capacity to have personally saved a bottle of this beer for 7 years. But it would be a lie, maybe in 7 years from now I will be able to say that. This bottle was bought at a special vintage event and it should have been kept relatively well. It was fridged for 48 hours and held at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Popped with a small hiss and pours with just the smallest brown lacing. Aroma is on the mild side of being present and mainly a charred malt. Taste is a bit better with some chocolate and a nice dry roastiness in the aftertaste. Body is lighter than I like (I usually find this to be the problem with the Baltic, Baltic Porters). A bit of bitterness at the end as well. This has lost a lot of the characteristics I enjoy in a fresh Koff, which I really enjoy. So I guess in the end I will never get to say that I have a saved a Koff Porter for 7 years.