Southampton Imperial Porter

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Southampton, New York USA

On tap at the Bocktown in Robinson. Pour is very dark opaque, like a really dark stout. Can’t see any light or colored tinge thru this brew. Almost like used shovelhead oil. Creamy head that is alabaster or light brown. Very little if any aroma detectable at first, but after it settles perhaps I do detect some slight hints of vinegar in there. The taste is rather roasty burned wood, like beer filtered thru the remains of an of old extinguished wet campfire. Some burnt attributes on the back of the throat. Medium carbonation. A little less bitter than I expected for an imperial porter, certainly less than those baltic porters. Finish is a medium bitterness in the back of the throat and tongue but as you drink more of this, the bitterness begins to fade as if it was numbing your senses. After the glass, I’m not detecting much bitterness on the finish compared to the first sip. As far as baltic porters go, much better than baltica 6 and Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, the best baltic porter to date.

Chocolate and cherry on the nose, with some lightly grassy notes and a bit of alcohol. Plenty of smooth chocolate and medium-dark caramel flavors. Delicately textured for such a heavy, slick beer. Shortish, molasses finish. Really dark with a hint of amber showing trough.

Bottle, poured a thick dark brown with a very thin white head. Aroma of caramel, coffee, molasses, malts, and slight alcohol. Flavor is somewhat sweet malts, coffee, caramel, with an ever so slightly bitter coffee finish. Mmmm...

Deep brown in color with faint rubby highlites and a nice tan head. Aroma of toaasted malt, cocoa, anise, and some alcohol. Has a medium body with nice carbonation. Flavor is cocoa, roasted malts, and dark fruits with a short, metallic finish. Good.

Gorgeous ruddy brown/red garnet body with a thin but firm off white hat. Creamy milk chocolate nose with current, black malt, and charred marshmallow. Mouthfeel is a bit livelier then expected with slightly metallic coco, current, black patent malt, and some cherry cordial. Finishes rather abruptly with some more metallic coco.

From a 22 oz. bottle with no freshness date, a short blurb on the neck label, stored at cellar temperature and allowed to warm up a bit before sampling in a pint glass. Poured a reddish hued dark porter brown with a small foamy tan head that quickly settled into a thin lacing, very little sticking. Fruity nose, sweet berries and ripe raisins with a light backing of caramel toffee, the alcohol meshes with fruity esters. Moderate carbonation and a malty crisp, slightly slick, smooth medium bodied mouthfeel. Tastes of light roasted grains and chocolate and caramel malts, a soft malty bitterness, berries and prune juice fruity, the hops are very subdued, the alcohol provides only a low warmth in palate and has a solvent/fruity flavor, the acidity is low too, and at the end, a softly bitter chocolate malty finish. Smooth, easy drinkability, this is a decent Baltic Porter, but for me, not a first trier one.

bottle. pours black color. nice brown head. very creamy and roasted. buttery with dark fruits. very nice.

Sampled with stegosaurus. Pours black in color with a big tan head. Aroma of chocolate malts, caramel, and a bit of light hops. Flavor is licorice, roasted malts, coffee and some dark chocolate. Good but not great.