Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter

Brewed by Närke Kulturbryggeri
Style: Imperial Stout
Örebro, Sweden

I tasted the Kaggen stout at the brewery. It was not quite ready, but a world-class it was. Extremely complex but very tasty and refreshing.

Bottle@Home, vintage 06, Mar 08, 4.7: I’m such a lucky guy to get to try this again. Thanks a lot Menno! Strong moccha, honey and whiskey aroma. Pours a thick black liquid with a dark brown head leaving nice lace. Sweet, chocolate, moccha, honey, whiskey and vanilla. Thick and warming mouthfeel. Wonderful balance, very flavorful. Bottle@Home, Jan 07, 4.5: Peaty, smoke and moccha aroma with a hint of varnish. Black as hell, brown head, good lace. Light sweet, moccha, peaty, coffee, roasted bitter, oily. The flavor doesn’t disappear. I guess after breakfast tomorrow morning it will still be there. Wow!

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

Bottled at RBESG 2006 Black with thin brown head. Chocolate nose with notes of whisky, fish, alcohol, wood, higher alcohols, and powdered chocolate. Somewhat acidic. Chocolate flavour with notes of wood, alcohol, fruits and viols. Bitter and smooth. Truly world class.

2005 vintage generously shared by cquiroga on 2/8/07: Pours an oily viscous opaque with mahogany edges and a thin ring of light brown head that almost turns the glass brown. Has an amazing, big, complex dark fruity plum and raisin nose with lots of floral dark honey, some tobacco, and sweet caramel malt with good oaky vanilla bourbon notes throughout. Body starts with a healthy dose of sweet dark caramel malt softly melding into bourbon toffee sprinkled with tobacco and dark chocolate with some bitter roasty notes toward the finish. Has nice brown sugar and raisin flavors as well. Nicely-balanced throughout and very drinkable, especially given the intense complexity. Slightly sweeter and more viscous than the 2004 vintage regular version. A great beer, very deserving of its ratings. Thanks again to cquiroga for sharing!

[Sampled at the Stockholm Beer festival 2007] Pitch black with a small brown head. Rich aroma with (among others) coffey, vanilla and citrus. Complex but surprisingly smooth creamy flavours of bitter chocolate, coffey and woody vanilla. Enormeous in every way.

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!

WTF?!? How did I not enter a rating for thiis? My son dutifully hand carried this back and we shared it prior to his clooegiate departure. He enjoyed it as did I though his gf of the time did not. I am always amazed when a beer is so praised and I find that I agree. Much easier for me to say ’’naaah’’. But this had a velvey texture and abunndance of flavor - bitter sweet. roasy - so much that a drunken guy can’t quite convey. But I do know what I had, and it was indeed exceptional. Thanks to Adrian.