Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter

Brewed by Närke Kulturbryggeri
Style: Imperial Stout
Örebro, Sweden

Tasted at the February Northern California Beer Tasting. This Imperial Stout pours an eclipse black color from the bottle. Small to medium sized foamy tan head. The aroma is chocolate and toffee, dark fruit, chocolate, oak and licorice. A very full bodied Imperial Stout. The malts are chocolate and toffee, dark fruit, licorice, oak and some bourbon. The hops are earthy. An incredibly full mouthfeel, a real tongue coater. Lots of chocolate and coffee flavors as wellas some dark fruit and vanilla. Nice balance. Good beer. Mouthfeel is very full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Bottle @ Copenhagen Øl Festival. [To celebrate my #1000 rating. Huge thanks to omhper and the guys from Närke for sharing this one with us] The buzz was that the Närke guys where at the festival. At some point they slipped Per one bottle and he was so kind to share the bottle with the people around the RateBeer table. There was way to much noise around the table, so I found myself a secluded spot where I could enjoy the quirt moment of complete satisfaction with the Kaggen in my glass. Small brown creamy head that mostly diminished. Light lacing could be observed in glass. Motor oil black color. Huge round berries feel in nose was the first impression. The came an assortment of notes with liquorish, light sweet coffee and chocolate, overwhelming port wine, wood and oak notes with lingering vanilla. Some cola and soy sauce like notes could also be detected. You feel the warmth of alcohol but no evidence of alcohol over the palate. Full bodied with a smooth texture. Flavor was so balanced with moderated sweet dry fruit and light bitter flavor with a hint of salty notes as well. Lingering liquorish, berries and port wine finish. There is a reason why this is considered one of the best beers in the world.

Botttle at Københavnske Øldage 2007. Thanks to the guys from the Mikkeller stand (Jeppe, Mikkel, Kristian...). Chokolate, dark chokolate, roasted, coffee, licorice, wood, oak, very very smooth. Some of all the sharp licorice in the ordinary stormaktsporter has disappeared............I just had it again, this time in Stockholm at Glenfiddish Warehouse No.68. So I am now gonna uprate it. Not much to add to flavour or aroma, just want to note some light sweetness and some vanilla. And say, I still love this beer !!

Rating nr. 1000. (2006 version) First of all. This beer is not overrated in any way. This beer has the excact same "amount" of complexity as Westvleteren 12. It pours pitch black with creamy brown head that lasts & drags a very handsome lacing. Roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, vanilla , wood/oak. So smooth (velvet-like) & soft. Palate is oily & thick. Everything is perfect! My god, this makes me go for another 1000 ratings!

(Bottled@Pikkulintu, room temperature. Thanks, Markku!:) Pitch black with beige, tight head. Very malty, decently hoppy, slightly alcoholic, port-wineous aroma with salty licorice, dark fruit and roasted malt. Extremely malty, very roasty, very smooth, licoricey, coffeeish, nutty-hoppy, syrupy, oaky flavor. Alcohol is fully hidden. Very full-bodied, slicky-syrupy, silky smooth, warming palate with almost no carbonation. A highly enjoyable dessert drink to be sipped slowly beside the fireplace (wish I had one ;). Must be truly great when aged...

Thank you BrianK! Pours a rick dark lurking black body. Aroma is oak, bourbon and rich maple syrup the whole nose through. The flavors are explosive and everything ive ever wanted in a stout. Bourbon, chocolate, oak, and booziness. Bakers chocolate, vanilla, charleston chew, and more oaky bourbon chocolate goodness. This is the best stout ive ever had. Im never quick to rate a beer so highly my first time having it, but mother of god this is flawless.

Bottle at "den tatoverede enke". Nice head with good duration. Color is black. Aroma and taste wonderful. Lots of licorice, roast malt and chocolate mixed with honeylike sweetness and wood.

Sat down with the brewers from Närke on Friday October 24, 2008 at the SMÖF 2008 festival. We teamed up the 05 vs 06 vs 07. Didn’t take notes, but it was truly special!

Had this again now on Christmas Eve, shared a bottle with my wife just because I had the chance, did it at The Rover, Göteborg.
Excellent nice dark black color. Rich nose and taste, close to perfect!

First and second ratings.
Draught, sampled at the brewery. It’s like their ’’’’Stormaktsporter’’’’ but bigger and better. More body, more taste, more powerful. Vanilla and oak in the scent and taste, as well as coffee. Pitch black look to it. Very nice, but something you might not drink too much of I guess, due to the high alcohol level.

Also tried as bottle on RBESG 2006, aged some, still great.
8/5/8/5/17=4.3

Third rating.
(25 cl bottle at The Rover, Göteborg)
Bought a bottle for myself, I wanted to re-rate and really enjoy this one. Screw the price!
Black look with a thick brown head. No transparency at all! Totally pitch black and gourgeous.
Sweet oily thick scent. Alcohol, some vanilla and bourbon whiskey smell as well. The vanilla and bourbon scent becomes more intense when the glass becomes emptier and the brew is warmed up and oxygenized. Smooth velvet mouthfeel. Smooth initial taste, transforming via tar and smoke towards rubber and warming alcohol. Taste is also chocolate and coffee when warmer, mostly chocolate though. Medium high bitterness. Long nice lasting aftertaste.
Extremely smooth, nice and friendly, too bad it’s fairly expensive and rare...
It’s worth it to buy a bottle to enjoy yourself though.
9/5/9/5/19=4.7

Fifth or so sample.
Shared a bottle with a friend at The Rover, Göteborg.
Pitch black color, rich brown head. Sweet rich raissin and coffee scent. Also scome alcohol, still very soft and very nice. Smell is also a touch of smoke and rubber, mixed with vanilla. I spent roughly 3 minutes looking at the beer and perhaps 10 smelling it before I even let the glass near my mouth, it’s just amazing, fantastic and all the big words together! Extremely big, large, huge, all of it, full rich palate, smooth and oily, best ever! Long chocolate and smoke aftertaste. Sweet sirupy taste, coffee and chocolate, smoke and rubber, also vanilla taste. This beer grows even better every time I drink it, and I can honestly say it’s the best beer I’ve ever had. I don’t like the use of 5.0 for a beer, what happens when you try something better? re-rate? But this one is truly worth it! A shame it’s almost gone. Luckily the new one is coming...
10/5/10/5/20=5.0

Last(?) rating:
I had a bottle stored at The Rover in Göteborg, waiting for a special occasion. Then my favourite ice hockey team won gold in the Swedish Championships about 2 weeks back, so now the bottle is gone. I was quite sober though, only high on adrenalin, so it didn’t go to waste, I fully enjoyed every last drop of it.


First rating of the 2006 version
(Bottle at The Rover, Göteborg)
10%
Pitch black color, big brown head, lovely! Oak and vanilla scent, also some salt and the northern Swedish ocean/Baltic sea at fall smell. Smell is also sweet, grains and alcohol. Honey and heather in there as well, though the oak is rather dominant. Chocolate, roasted, sweet malt, melted vnilla ice-cream, coffee taste. Roasted, sweet coffee aftertaste. Thick, oily, smooth mouthfeel, medium high bitterness. Very, very nice, though I want it to age perhaps 6 months or so to mellow out and improve even more. Close to perfection!
9/5/10/5/19=4.8

Tried this the other day at the brewery, 2006 version.
Serious vanilla/oak nose to begin with, more than I have sensed before.
Nice long chocolate finish after it has warmed for a while.
I think it’s lovely just to sit down and enjoy it!


New rating, 2006 version from a pub in Göteborg
Pitch black color, brown head. Vanilla and oak, alcohol and grains, sweet and raissin scent. Chocolate, oak, raissins, figs, some spices, alcohol, sweet taste. Wood as well. Smooth silk like mouthfeel laced with alcohol. Medium bitterness.
9/5/10/5/19=4.8

Rerate
Draught at EBF 2008, on Saturday September 13
2007 version
Black color, brown head. Sweet malty, very vanilla, big oak scent. Lots of oak and vanilla, mixed with alcohol, taste. Smooth full mouthfeel, medium high bitterness. Might need to lay down a bit, not as smooth and wonderful as 2005 version.
8/4/8/5/18=4.3