Smuttynose Baltic Porter

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Baltic Porter
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Courtesy dchmela....thanks Dave! Pours a deep, dark chocolate brown with a small, foamy, light brown head. A smattering of spotty lacing speckles the glass. This is a true Baltic, as the massively malty nose clearly indicates. Big notes of bittersweet chocolate, dark caramel, cocoa nibs, and roasted coffee mean serious business. A mildly earthy hop character comes through a little, but make no mistake, this one is malt dominant. The flavor is again huge and intensely roasted, with rich, smooth, chocolaty and caramelized malts. Medium-full bodied and silky smooth, this one goes down easy and finishes with lingering roast. This is right up there with the best that this style has to offer. Fantastic.

22 oz. bottle. Pours black with a large brown head that faded to a film by mid-glass and left no lacing. The aroma was a bit odd. While I enjoyed the malt, coffee and tobacco elements, there was a very noticable aroma of isopropyl alcohol which I did not like. Thankfully, the rubbing alcohol was not in the flavor, which I enjoyed. Very malty with coffee and tobacco noted as well. Some scotch whiskey flavor emerges as the beer warms with a definite warming from the alcohol at the finish. Except for the aroma, an enjoyable beer.

(22oz. bottle) Pours a black body with a small tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, lactose, noticeable alcohol, some charred, and black licorice. Flavor of roasted malt, cocoa, and light coffee with a somewhat chalky mouthfeel and dry finish.

Bottle shared with and courtesy of GregClow. Pitch black, huge brownish head. Great aroma featuring a ton of roast and some alcohol. Taste features more roast - actually very little of the expected Baltic sweetness here. But man, is that roast every tasting and integrating well with the powerful yet soothing alcohol. Wonderful medium body that manages to be silky yet well carbonated. Long warming alcohol finish with even more lingering roast. Great stuff, but blind I would call this an Imperial porter and not a Baltic...

Bottle acquired from blankboy, and shared with tupalev & my lovely wife. Deep black with a large mocha head. Rich aroma of well-roasted malt, cocoa, coffee, and a bit of smoky wood. Full, silky mouthfeel. Lovely flavour with big roasty malt, espresso, dark caramel, and some dark dried fruit as it warms. Not quite as sweet as I usually expect from the style, but that’s OK, it still rocks.

Bottle; don’t remember the price, but it was real cheap for the size. Poured a dark brown/black with a decent sized brown head. Aroma of cocoa, roasted malt/barley, caramel, fruit, and earth. Really tasty; nice blend of roasted oats, cocoa and coffee. Hints of neat, smoke, fruit and caramel. Palate was just ok. Not much hop presence. Would have liked some sweetness.

Bottle: Pours a dark brown with a tan head. Aroma, chocolate, roasted notes, caramel. Flavor, roasted notes, chocolate, dark fruits, some coffee. Pretty tasty.

Black body, small tan head, slight lacing. Aromas of licorice, sweetness, and hops. Flavor is dark chocolate, licorice sweetness, mild roastiness, and slight smoke.