Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter

Brewed by Närke Kulturbryggeri
Style: Imperial Stout
Örebro, Sweden

Rating number 1000. December 2006 25cl bottle. Pitch black with a thick, creamy and long lasting light brown head. Intense aroma, oak above all, with much vanilla character. Plums, dates and figs. Some alcohol gives it some bourbon after a while, and portwine is also in play. The flavour has all that barrel character plus the full blown impy stout richness. Rather sweet but balanced by some hops, the dark malt bitterness and some alcohol. As it enters the mouth, oak and vanilla dominates, then comes some fruityness along with warming alcohol, and perfection is reached with the long lasting black aftertaste of espresso, charcoal, licorice and dark chocolate that sits in the mouth for a long time. Hyped beers demand extra concentration when drinking, which in turn may give a great beer an even better rating because I pick up all of its complexity - my first Westvleteren 12 took an hour to drink, and this will also last. But they are hyped because of their qualities in the first place, and this beer is worth all the attention.

rbesg06, bottled. jet black with a lasting brown head. aroma of mudcake, with plenty of vanilla whisky and rum’n’raisin ice cream. really luscious, thick, buttery texture. hints of marzipan, bitter chocolate, alcohol noticeable but not overwhelming. fantastic, i kept upping my score by a point every couple of sips

Bottle. 2006 version at Den Tatoverede Enke. Creamy lightbrown good mostly lasting head. Black colour. Heavy malty and moderate hoppy aroma. Powerfull vanilla and honey notes, no smoke. Moderate bitter flavor. Strong caramellic notes, almost "Bailey-like". Fantastic long moderate bitter finish. Exstremely creamy wonderfull palate. To strong caramellic notes too become truly fantastic, but really great stuff. Way too expensive!

Many thanks to StFun for sharing this most sought after brew and tjthresh for hosting this last moment tasting, 2007 version:

Opaque with oily tears, a bit more carbonation than the "regular" Stormaktsporter. The aroma has note of cavendish pipe tobacco, vanilla, liquorice, plum, fig, espresso, wood, and a hint of peat moss. The taste is dark fruit and rich tobacco with a surprising touch of sourness, Smoky and peaty undertones before the coffee bitterness. A constant mocha and vanilla vein runs throughout the brew. The mouth feel is a tad thinner than the "regular" version but a bit more carbonation makes up for it. Big fruity and twangy tones with a hint of wild funk makes it more complex than the non-Kaggen version but at the same time it is slightly less wonderful. Still I would love another chance to taste this again.

Think of this comparison... a great steak is a great steak, I am comparing grade A prime Filet Mignon to grade A prime Porterhouse. Both are wonderful and worthy of the praise.

Bottle RBESG 07 ... Deep Deep black ... rich malts rich and fruity little bit meaty ...thick syrupy rich malts lots of depth and character rich fruityness and lots of roast malts. 4.0

TK 2 Bottle at home ... Deep deep black ... rich roast malts ... rich chocolate and coffee ... not as viscous as Dark Horizon and not such an alcholic spirit burn ... deep fruit malts in amongs the roast. This is a great sized bottle to settle down with. A beer this nice should be small and slowly savoured.

This beer sums up all that i didnt like about RBESG (though it was still a great day) Bottle stored at home allowed to settle well, served and savoured over half and hour on a much cleaner palate. At RBESG i could see the potential of the beer but dont think the beer was given the respect it was due or the time needed to full apreciate and savour this beer. 4-> 4.3

Tk3 TOMS Ultimate Glasgow tasting ... On reflection and compaired to th other on the day , while this is still a stunning beer it didnt hold up for me to some of the others. 4.3->4.2

Tk 4 : Quick swallow at RBESG No notes but 4.1

TK5 Draught at EBF Copenhagen 08 ... Deep black ... toffeee roat malt nose ... rich tofee ... sweet molasis ... rich sily and smooth ... little tobacco ... little honey 4.1

Interesting that its higest rating was in the Comfort of my own home. I do find that i tend to enjoy my beers more when im relaxed at home, not frantically looking at whats comming next at a tasting or beer festival

For rating 3500, this one needs to go out with a big bang. Thanks to cgarvieuk for smuggling this one through customs and sharing a 2006 vintage at Dark Lord Day 09, I got a thin pour but enough to try it. Pours an opaque dark brown (nearly black) colored brew with a thin tan head that sticks around. Aroma of toasted dark malt, some raisin, dark pitted fruits, and chocolate. Taste is full bodied, thick and chewy with flavors of toasted dark malt, a hint of molasses, raisin, chocolate and vanilla. Finish is smooth as silk, creamy with a lingering toasted dark malt and raisin aftertaste. The alcohol warmth was a nice touch. Awesome!

For Rating #1500, I thought I’d open something truly special.. this was the best I could come up with!

2005 Vintage. Poured a medium-viscocity, lovely shade of black with idyllic initial cap of creamy deep brown head. The aroma had just a remarkable rich vinous and plum character that formed a perfect complement to the lightly-burnt dark chocolate and coffee malts at the core.. additional layers of complexity evolve throughout the drink, with vanilla, oak, and ever-so-slight bourbon in one wave, darker honey in another, and mild smoky caramel beyond that... just hard to fathom how so many wonderful components can be blended so intricately.

Semi-sweet honey accompanies the rich tapestry of dark chocolate and fresh coffee onto the palate.. a sweet wash of bourbon sugars and vanilla comes before the drink is halfway completed.. well-toasted caramel, smoky tobacco, and dark fruits blanket the back-end, then coffee and woodsy bitterness accent the warm and magnificent finish. This falls between medium and heavily-bodied, with just enough carbonation to keep it moving.. the flavors wash over the proper taste buds with surgical precision.. the long, warm, vibrant finish leaves great satisfaction, save for the realization that this remarkable exilir may never touch my lips again. Just brilliant!

2006 bottle thanks to Craig! Poured rich, inky black with a great initial cap of tan head. After a couple minutes to breathe, rich bourbon and vanilla really came to light.. layers of dark chocolate and roasty black patent malts.. mild smoke and some oak.. sweeter uptake at the back with mild alcohol. Deeply-roasted dark chocolate and molasses roll elegantly onto the palate with trails of vanilla and some smokiness.. bourbon fills in the back and nasel passages.. thickens up toward the finish with roasty chocolate and mild coffee bitterness.. long, sweeter finish with a perfect blend of barrel and stout. Thicker on the palate with light bitterness and great balance.. wonderfully complex. 10 4 9 4 18

Bottle (250ml). Shared by an astoundingly generous mes_and_sim - I can NOT thank you enough for this, Mes. We sat in Dorset Square, a private park that was the original grounds for Lord’s Cricket Grounds, near Baker Street tube station - in two small wine glasses. Off the top, this is THE best Impy Stout I’ve ever had - I could easily have gone 5.0. Thick, oily b lack pour, with a solid long-lasting dark brown head. Aroma - well, many things, almost overpowering, I sniffed it for at least 10 minutes before actually drinking any - perfect aromatherapy for a stoutie - deep, deep roast malt, molasses, tawny/crusty port, lush herbal hops, light lactose, coffee and chocolate, hints of lactose sourness, aged cabernet-franc wine .... one word: wow. The taste follows right on - vinous, oatmeal-y, the hops increase as you get down to the light sludge in the bottom of the bottle .... hell, this is thick, silky, oily, and surprisingly carbonated, smooth long bitter/malty port-like finish and aftertaste. Spectacular, not even a little bit overrated, I want more. My last note was "Holy fuck!" Buddies for life, Mes - I take back anything I ever said about ManU!!