Smuttynose Baltic Porter

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

Pours dark and near-black with a lot of dense, dark brown foam. Aroma is malty and strong... full of coffee and a slight licorice/anise character. Flavors are malty and kind of earthy/woody with a good herbal hop bitterness to balance things out. Very nice. Complex yeast character underneath it all. Really nice!

(bottle from ditmier, thanks!) Pours black with a medium tan head that reduces to a thin ring around the snifter. The aroma is initially not all that great, with some scents of creamed corn, mocha, and roasted malt. As this warmed however, the aroma opens up and yields scents of dark fruits, chocolate, coffee, and cherry. There is some booze as well, but not enough to detract from the other scents. Further warming intensifies the chocolate and coffee, with some smoke and vanilla showing up as well. The taste is pretty simple, with chocolate, brown sugar, roasted malt, and a bit of raisin, but really nothing else. Mouthfeel is medium, carbonation is decent, and the finish is lightly roasted. Thanks again Eric!

Bottle thanks to Cletus!
Very dark brown, small tan head that disappears quickly. Light nose of cocoa, raisin, cognac, and plum. More cocoa in the flavor, also light coffee and a tinge of alcohol. Lightly thin body pairing with the cognac notes in the nose. It’s baltic porter goodness, but it doesn’t feel fully developed.

22oz bottle obtained at McKinnon’s in Salem, NH. Pours an opaque black body with a good half inch or so of light tan head. Chocolate, black licorice, with some banana, nut and bubblegum notes comprise the aroma. Black licorice with some banana, nut, and bubblegum notes hit the palate initially, with strong dark chocolate and coffee hitting later toward the finish, bits of vanilla throughout. On the heavier side of medium-bodied with ample carbonation to clear the palate, but not too much. One sip definitely invites another, with the complexity and medium body. Possibly the best example of the style I’ve found thus far, and leaps and bounds better than Smuttynose RIS. Good stuff!

I think this bomber came from either JB175 or Beastiefan2K. Thanks to whoever got this to me as an extra! Black pour with a small brown head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee and milk? Has a tad bit of booze too. Flavor is rich and a little bitter. Smooth and creamy.

650ml bomber at Tupalev’s, courtesy of matt7215, huge thanks to Matt! I was really looking forward to this one and was not let down. Pours a deep dark brown, almost clear at the bottom of the glass. Aroma: leather, anise, peat moss, and general malty awesomeness. Flavour: All of the above with a touch of pen ink (which I guess is obligatory in all American stouts and porters?) but also no soy sauce! Yeah! Toffee, and a touch of raisin. A sublte grainy hint is a very nice touch. More sweet than bitter, as one would expect from the style. Very much an American interpretation of a European classic, very well done. I really love this style. Very smooth for what it is which can only be attributed to the fact that it’s a lager. So rich and satisfying!

Pours a very dark brown color with a nice sized foamy, tan colored head that leaves nice rings of lace around the glass. The aroma is nice and shows dark chocolate, toasted caramel, roasted coffee, and bittersweet cocoa. Some earthy hops come through as well. The flavor is just as malt forward as the nose lets on with rich chocolate and sweet caramel up front followed by roasted coffee, and some earthy hop bitterness. Medium to full bodied and really smooth and easy drinking with good carbonation with a lingering roasty finish. This is a great example of the style and a very tasty brew at that.

bomber. oily brownish-black pour with a sturdy looking medium tan head that disappears quickly. aroma is dark chocolate and fruit - with hint of toffee. taste is slick chocolate and cocoa. then bitter coffee and alcohol finish. light peppery spices too. interesting.