Saku Porter

Brewed by Saku Õlletehas (Baltic Beverages Holding - Carlsberg )
Style: Baltic Porter
Saku, Estonia

The 100th rating for this beer thanks to Mad Mads Berg: Pours a deep brown with a rapidly fading head and zip for lace. The aroma is pure Baltic, fruity (plum and prune), espresso, anise, burnt black malt, and brown sugar.

The taste is surprising in that it is not cloy or too sweet thanks to a major acidic twang at the forefront. That star anise/licorice snap is shown throughout and even tasty. Some mocha powder and espresso burnt coffee bean is very much a major component of this brew as well. The mouth feel is strange as it comes off thin and watery but yet I get a light vinous quality on the finish.

Heck folks, I am not really of sure what to say. Part of me love the flavor profile but then part of me is left wanting so much more. Heavier mouth feel, better head retention and perhaps a bit more malt character would have this beer rocking. All told, still a impressive Baltic brew, thanks again Mads.

Bottle Citi Bar, Parnu, Estonia 16-05-05. Dark Chocolate brown colour, small tan head, some maltiness in aroma. Malty and roasted taste with some hints of chocolate, very good one of my favourite beers whilst in Estonia.

Bottle. Small tan head. Dark brown color. Aroma is chocolate and coffee. Taste is chocolate, coffee and licorice. Good porter.

Burnt flavors predominate...scorched caramel/roasted toffee/burnt brown sugar. A little thin-bodied...I usually like my porters more beefy than this, but still OK. Nothing complicated here.

Øl (50 cl) købt på arbejdet til 30 kr. Øllen er sort med flot højt brunt skum. Den dufter ikke af meget, og meget mild i smagen af en porter. For mig er den nærmest kedelig - virker lidt flad

Saku Estonian Porter is a Baltic Porter by style. Baltic porters are direct descendants of Russian Imperial Stout, a beer style that was brewed by British brewers, and shipped to Russia and the Baltics. Some Baltic breweries, that were lager brewers, decided to do their own versions of Imperial Stout, yet did so with their lager yeast strains, which are bottom fermenting. This bottom fermenting lager version of Imperial Stout became know in the beer world as Baltic porter. Baltic porter is very similar to Imperial stout, but is less fruity, and is rounder and smoother in body. Like all beer styles, there is range within the style, and Saku Estonian Porter falls into the lower end of the scale, being less potent, and lighter in color than the majority of Baltic porters. Saku Estonian Porter pours to a some what murky, deep caramel color, with a thick tan head, and a soft to moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is very malt accented, with lots of sweet malty, toasty, and nutty aroma. The palate is firm with lots of sweet and caramel malt flavors on the tongue, and nice touches of toasty malt flavors. This beer finishes with more sweet and caramel malty flavors up front, and ends with a cloying malty finish. This is a delicious, well done, very malt accented brew, that really is a unique version of Baltic porter, quite different from most versions you will find. This beer made a perfect match with an appetizer of pierogies(potato pasta dumplings filled with cheddar cheese and mashed potato) in an onion and butter sauce, with sour cream.

A pitch black beer with a reddish shine and a huge brown head. The aroma is sweet with notes of coffee and dark chocolate as well as some roasted malt notes. The flavor is sweet with notes of roated malt turning more into a good coffee with a bitter coffee end, combined with very light notes of hops and a slight alcohol burn. The mouthfeel is straw

Almost black, slight reddish colour. Thick tan head. Sugary, acidic aroma with hints of resin, chocolate, coffee and dark fruits. Flavour is soy sauce, tar and tobacco. Long malty aftertaste. Some notes of liquorice is present in finish.