Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter

Brewed by Närke Kulturbryggeri
Style: Imperial Stout
Örebro, Sweden

2006 version shared by the European Beer Pipeline after4ever. Thanks man! So that being said, this has probably the best nose of anything I have ever smelt. A complex mix of dark malts, coffee, chocolate, fruit, vanilla, just all rounded out and mixed in together. Black beer with a milkshake looking brown head. Flavors of chocolate, dark fruit, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon barrel notes, ashy burnt malts, wood, piney earthy hops. Creamy velvety body, some warmth, low carbonation. Pretty much the best thing I have ever drank.

2007 Bottle at Glenfiddich Warehouse, Stockholm. Served way to cold. Black with a smal brown head. Surprisingly high carbonation. Bitter chocolate, soy, tobaco and vanilla. Complex and great!

Bottle. Black color, small white head. Complex beer! Smells cigar, port, raisins and honey. The taste is sweet at first, hints of vanilla. Lots of bitter dark chocolate, soy. The taste of a fine cigar rounds it off. Thick oily beer. Smooth. Very good!

Bought this at Bier Koning in 2007 and very much enjoyed it. Pitch black colour with rocky tan head. Nose of malt, chocolate, raisins, caramel and red berries. Really nice blend of aromas. First taste of chocolate and vanilla, then more and more flavours as you drink through. Very smooth and oliy texture. Superb.

Bottled (2006). One of my most wanted beers and totally unexpectedly I stumbled across a bottle of this during my Euro trip. Big props n !respekt! to my friend Manuele. Where to begin...pours a beautiful pitch black with a creamy brown head that lingers. Intensely amazing aroma of rich chocolate, vanilla, oak, raisins, plums, honey wow there is so much going on here and extremely complex. It took me a while and then some to get around to actually tasting this. The first sip is dominated by chocolate, vanilla and oak. More chocolate and dark fruit and even some whiskey and smoked flavours are introduced. I wish I had a greater vocabulary to describe this. Has it been mentioned before that is an extraordinarily complex beer. Now I’m just rambling on. I’ve never had a beer this smooth, it’s ridiculous. An oily silky smooth mouthfeel. Warm finish and brilliantly balanced. Perfection.

Bottle. Translucent still pour with a razor thin ring of bubbles. Inky on the side of the glass. Nose-maple syrup, lots of raisin and figs, light woody bourbon, toast, salt. Taste-high CO2, lactic, light acrid smoke, sweet marshmallow, cola, Dr. Pepper, heavy white spices, a little on the sweet side, slightly acrid.

Thanks to BrianK for sharing. Pours a deep dark black velvet with metallicy bronze hints as the light hits it with a shimmering deep brown head which lasts very well and has nice lace. Aroma is oak and vanilla upfrotn but not in your face or over teh top buttery like some others- more clean and refined than most BA beers, light bourbon and caramel as well whcih mix well with the deep dark chocolate malts, and fruity fig-like esters- hints of espresso, vanilla dn a bit of licorice as well.. Flavor is also loaded up with big sweet chocolate malts, more bourbon and oak, more vanilla ( almost a Charleston Chew candy like character) on the flavor turns more to licorice, leather then a nice earthiness (burlap sack and cedar cigar box) along with more coffee and roast in the end with a perfect bitterness. Smooth slightly oily palate with lingering caramelized reduction of brown sugar and port. Awesome!

Skillfully produced beer. At first the oak-barrels came through a little too much, but after just 10 minutes sitting around the smoothness and complexities really shown through. All in all a top notch brew I wish I could get more of.