Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter

Brewed by Närke Kulturbryggeri
Style: Imperial Stout
Örebro, Sweden

Bottle, 2006 batch, GBBF 2007. Black with a big brown head. Strong on malts, but not overly so, balanced with liquorice, coffee, chocolate coming through. Some hint at its strength, but not offensively. Mouth is excellent, very upfront on the roasted maltiness, balanced with strong dark liquorice tones. Finishes silky and very well balanced, some dryness, complemented on the back of the palate with this wonderful oaky chocolate tone. I hovered over the gravity of giving this a 5 but then thought f*ck it, this is divine. Perfect in every way.

I wasn’t fully appreciative of the status this beer has on this site when sampling but perhaps a good thing? (helps to not be swayed by the numbers). Anyway, I’m mostly with the weatherman on this beer (see note from 31/10). A dead ringer in appearance to the Hr Frederiksen Amager. Nose is subdued with coffee, mild chocolate. Soft palate structure, actually quite seamless, with a woody, spirity note that’s not really adding to the beer. The fruitcake, zinfandel-like flavour is ok but the disjointed flavours from the spirity note mess with my head.

My #1000 Rating
7-18-08 bottle thanks to my secret beer lover
Dark thick black pour with a nice tan creamy head. Smell is cocoa nibs, oak, with perhaps a touch of black cherries and applewood smoked meats. Flavor is nice, sweet malt with a roasted clean hop finish. No present booziness to it - it is quite balanced and very enjoyable to drink. Smooth and very silky mouthfeel. Overall, a wonderful winner all around!

Merritt Island Throwdown ’08: Bottle, courtesy hopscotch. Poured a dark muddy brown, with red highlights. Minimal white head. Decent wet lacing on the glass. Aromas of chocolate, tobacco, caramel...nice. There’s a slight booze-factor there, too, and an intriguing smokiness. Flavors of chocolate and caramel hit you first, with licorice and dark candy next. Brown sugar hits you late, and finishes on a spicy note. Full-bodied, and very sticky in the mouth. Creamy on the palate, and thoroughly enjoyable. Can’t say this is #2 in the world, though.

2006 bottle @ SOPP, Helsinki. Black w/ dark mocca head. Very creamy, buttery nose, strong vanilla, the bourbon ageing really comes through. Syrupy and burned malty flavor, vanilla, little alcohol and loads of bourbon. Surprisingly "light" bodied, not as smooth palate as it probably should be. Very good even this way, but cries out for a better time and place. Definitely not a beer to sample at festivals.

This has been on my wantlist for years. I had the luck to try the 2007 and 2008 Kaggen on draft at the Stockholm Beer and Whisky fest, alongside draft Stormaktsporter from 2008 and 2007, and bottled Stormaktsporter from 2006. The 2007 Kaggen was my favorite of the bunch, it was a bit better rounded than the 2008.

Pours very deep brown, nearly opaque, capped with a thin brown head. Beautiful lacing. Aroma of dark chocolate, coffee, molasses, oak and perhaps a bit of honey. Flavor begins with roasted chocolate malt, coffee, licorice, and molasses, with oak and charcoal in the background. Hop bitterness builds a bit towards the finish, and remain on the palate along with dark chocolate. Some alcohol in the finish as well. The body is a bit thinner than I expected. I’m glad I finally got to try this; especially in the vertical/horizontal with the Stormaktsporter. I enjoyed this and wouldn’t pass it up if I encountered it again.

I’ve tasted a vintage 2007, thank you rickgordon!. Do not drink it too cold! If you do that the beer would not to open... The beer has a dark sirupy-oily body with a small lacing but creamy and delicious brown head. Absolutly rich, liqueric aroma of coffee, dark chocolate and plum-dried fruits, tons of roasted malt, candy sugar. The flavor is something unbelievable. Hard attack of an oily textured, rich bodied beer with roasted grains, coffe and cocoa, dark chocolate, vanilla and candy sugar, character of the oak barrels. Long finish and roasted aftertaste. Thanks again, rick!

Rating #9from the european beer festival 2008. Great suprise that this one was avalible at the festival, though! ts black with a nice brown head. Aroma is very delicate of honney, sweet chocolate, vanilla and fudge. The moutharoma is again filled with all kinds of delicious deserts. Caramel fudge being the one in my mind the most. nice to have a sweetness this complex that isnt caused by suger alone. The sweet notes are of course backed up by a good amount of roasted bitterness while the hops have a more subtly role in this one. Thanks to Beer Biker for showing me stand #5!