porterhouse (1148), Alna, Maine, USA Dec 28, 2008 Pours very, very dark brown with a half finger or less of lighter brown head that recedes mostly to edges. Intense sweet malty aroma of dark fruit, very dark chocolate, coffee, char, pehaps raisin. Nice. Mouthfeel initially has too much fizziness. Deeper into the bottle this begins to dissipate. Lightly oily and perhaps a touch thin. Taste is quite charry initially with lots of dark chocolate. Fair bit of alcohol in finish. Also the first several quaffs finished quite grassy but this seemed to eventually dissipate as well. As it warms there is more dark fruit and some coffee but still quite dominated by the chocolate and char. Kept reminding me in different ways of two beers I had recently - DFH Palo Santo and Shipyard Imp Porter. Overall a pretty good effort from Smuttynose but I could not quite call it excellent. 22 oz. bottle from Oak Hill Beverage, cellared for 10 mos. after purchase. Vac (2389), San Diego, California, USA Dec 18, 2008 Pours with a black body topped by a medium thick to thick, brown head with a good amount of lacing left on the glass. It is sweet and malty wiht a note of chocolate and a little roast, as well as a touch of fruity alcohol esters. Full bodied, smooth and a touch warming. guzzler67 (1272), Hanover, Maryland, USA Dec 14, 2008 As dark as they come, with a large tan head that leaves lots of lacing. Roasted malt aroma, spiked with bitter coffee and dark chocolate. Smooth, full bodied mouthfeel with modest carbonation. Taste is roasted malt, chicory, cocoa and dark fruit, along with an earthy, woody, nutty flavor. Long lasting finish adds to the pleasure. Really loved this one; just as good as many Impy stouts. mwelsh13 (483), Maryland, USA Dec 13, 2008 22oz bottle split into two pints pours deep brown with a fluffy tan head. Alot of chocolate and some espresso in the aroma. A bit of grassy hop bitterness followed by a rich body of deep malt and caramel flavor. A bit of bitterness at the swallow as well as some dryness finish off this good beer. SQNfan (591), Wheaton, Illinois, USA Dec 5, 2008 This poured black in color with a moderate brown head that dissipated away. The nose was filled with aromas of dark chocolate, plum, raisin, coffee and some hazelnut. In the mouth it is medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated with great mouthfeel. There is lots of carbonation keeping this well-balanced and really enjoyable. aplusbreaks (330), , Colorado, USA Dec 4, 2008 Bottle Thanks to jjpm74. 22oz pours black with a moderately sized mocha colored head, which diminishes into a ring fairly quick. Aromas of caramel malt, chocolate, dark fruits, plums, figs, and roasted coffee. Flavors are at first smooth and silky chocolate and dark fruit. Then it transforms into a coffee and warm alcohol finish. I had this on the first big snow of the year, and I couldnt of picked a better night for such a great beer. riversideAK (2648), Shoreline, Washington, USA Nov 30, 2008 Soft but intoxicating nose of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and slightly burnt aspects. Dark black beer with no head at all. Flavors of roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee. Some sweet and moderately tart ripe fruit. Roast lingers and fights with the sweetness for dominance. Dry lingering burnt and roasted malt flavors. Drinks insanely well, just an incredible beer. lb4lb (2011), Austin, Texas, USA Nov 29, 2008 Bottle shared by hopsleeroy. Thanks!
Pours dark black with a short lived light tan head. Smell is rich, dense sticky dark fruit, soy sauce and dark chocolate. Taste is much the same with a lot of dark chocolate and some dark fruit to a lesser extent with some dry cocoa notes. Slightly full mouthfeel and normal carbonation. No sign of the ABV either. Overall, a fantastic baltic porter!
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