Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter

Brewed by Närke Kulturbryggeri
Style: Imperial Stout
Örebro, Sweden

2006 bottle from Max. Huge thanks. Way too small, this is the kind of beer you need to drink out of pint glasses and put back an ounce or two per sip at least. Unfortunately, few are afforded that luxury. Very smooth and subtle in all regards, light roasty coal, chalk, and a bit of alcohol. Flavor is deep, with pure imperial stout notes and a nice aged character... some oxidation and sherry. The honey really balances this out. There is a bit of booziness here, no doubt. A great drinker, I’d love to have more, and while this is a fantastic beer, I can’t say this is the best imperial stout. Still, very very good.

Bottle 2006 (Generously given as an extra by oh6gdx, thanks!) Pours an opaque black with a dense brown head. Huge tarry nose with lots of licorice/anisette boozy notes, but smooth. Salty dark chocolate is evident as well. Slick and peppery on the palate. Boozy and warming but not sweet or cloying. Has a a lot of licorice flavors and anisette-like qualities, but not overly sweet. Some molasses notes and peppery phenolics come through with a piny character (not piny as in hops) and lots of rich smooth coffee roast later on. There’s also a burnt marshmallow flavor which describes the smooth tasty sweetness and charred character. Unique and tasty. Has some subtleties that make it stand out from other barrel-aged giants. Nice stuff.

2006 vintage per Jason! The beer pours to a dark black body. There’s a nice creamy beige head too. The aroma is amazing. Absolutely amazing. Balanced vanilla, bourbon, chocolate, and vinous wines. The flavor is of rich chocolate, subtle bourbon, oak, strong black patent malt. Nice vinous characteristics. Creamy roasted bitter black malt palate.

25cL bottle, 2006 vintage, courtesy of omhper. Thanks a ton, Per! Pours a dark, oily blackish-brown color; thin, dark tan head with patchy lacing. Intensely sweet, syrupy aroma: tons of nougat and dark chocolate and a hint of licorice; the barrel presence is just enough: slightly tart, toasty bourbon and well-roasted; nothing harsh. Very woody, toasted oak and cedar upfront; excellent bourbon character: mildest sour-mash quality (if at all) with loads of nougat and milk and dark chocolate; slightest roughness from the bourbon, but otherwise a generous, layered BA impy stout; the barrel itself seems to be the highlight here, and it would be interesting to try this alongside the regular Stormaktsporter. The beer underneath seems to lack the density of something like BA Speedway or BA Blackout, and that’s the only setup for this beer; the barreling itself is beautifully done. Lengthy, milk chocolate and bourbon-tinged finish; well-integrated and balanced end.

2006 Vintage bottle from MaltOMeal at the December Houston tasting. There are beers that fall short of hype, there are beers that meet the hype, and then there is Narke Kaggen Stormaktsporter, which annihilates the hype and then kicks its butt again. This beer is almost flawless; from the pouring of the motor- oil-in-a-black-hole-tinted liquid to the final sip of bourbon barrel soaked chocolate syrup, this beer blows most others out of the stratosphere. The nose is a symphony of bourbon oak, chocolate, woody sugar, and molasses. As I said before, this beer pours as dark as motor oil in a black hole. Darth Vader looks downright pale compared to this beauty. A waterfall of flavors tickle the taste buds with each precious sip, notably the aforementioned chocolate syrup seemingly poured from a bourbon cask after maturing for 30 years, with a stark dark fruit presence that rounds out the experience. Mouthfeel is downright pudding-like; chewy, thick, and heavy. I did not want this taste experience to end.

Tiny little 180mL bottle, 2005 vintage, via rickgordon, shared with mj and lilannie. First, I must say that I traded for and recieved this bottle almost one year ago, 9/21/06 to be exact, long before the rest of the world knew about "The Mighty Kaggen!" that became the #1 beer on RB. Just a matter of asking the right person at the right time more than anything. I’ve been saving this for an occasion, and having the chance to share it with another RBer was good enough occasion for me! The pour was a very dark black, completely opaque under a small dense espresso crema like head that retained as a thin film for the duration, rousing with a gentle swirl to a full covering, then fading to a thin film again. The nose is most definately bourbon dominated, but in a fairly integrated way with the roast, charred oak, vanilla, tar, smoke, moderate alcohol, slight soy and molasses, and bakers chocolate. The flavor is pretty intense, yet it’s really blended well between the roast, barrel influence and alcohol. Can’t say that I really got a whole lot of honey in there, but there was a little risidual molasses and dark fruit like sweetness that lingered on the finish mixing with a deep tobacco note. A little alcoholic maybe, but it seemed to work with this one. Mouthfeel was actually a little bit thinner than the regular version, but I couldn’t decide if that was just because of the mental association with bourbon or if it had thinned some with the time it spent in the barrel. Nice soft but engaging carbonation. This was pretty damn amazing, I suppose that if there’s gotta be a "best beer in the world" that this is as good of a candidate as any. A slight edge personally goes to the regular Stormaktsporter, but mainly because of the mouthfeel more than anything else. Both were quite a delicious treat.

Bottle (Vintage 2006) at Bishops Arms, Avenyn, Göteborg, Sweden. Pours black with a slight red/brown edge and a tiny beige head. Strong cognac-like barrel notes first with wood and coconuts, thereafter roasted chocolate with notes of dark berries, and finally a mild touch of alcohol. Extremely smooth mouthfeel, and a perfect balance with a dry finish. 9/4/10/5/18 -> 4.6.

Vintage 2007 sampled at the EBF 2008. More pronounced oak aroma in this version (unfortunately), still very good though. 7/4/10/5/16 -> 4.2.

Vintage 2005 sampled together with 2006 & 2007 at SMÖF 08. Even better than the 2006 version, perhaps due to aging. My overall rating becomes 4.5

2006 bottle, courtesy hopscotch. Thanks so much Eric! Pours a dark chocolate brown body. Pure liquid fudge at the deepest point, glowing golden brown at the edge. A swirly tan head with a bubbly edge forms the crown. There’s no lacing to be found, but a tilt of the glass reveals thick, sugary legs the slowly meander back to the body. The aroma is nothing short of astounding. Melted dark chocolate and caramel are rich and decadent. Figs, cinnamon, and nutmeg add fruity and spicy highlights. Oaky bourbon and vanilla permeate everything, imparting the signature aroma of something that has been hibernating in a barrel for ages. The flavor is nearly as great. Fudge brownies drizzled with caramel come to mind. Bourbon soaked figs provide further complexity and depth, while candy licorice hints at a light smokiness. The body is medium-full, slick, and creamy. Finishes long and chocolaty, with the faintest hint of alcohol burn. Phenominal, world-class brew.