Dark pour with a thin tannish head. Chocolate and roasted malt aroma. Flavors are about the same as the aroma.

3/17/05. Pint on tap at Vidalia’s Rest. Wash DC. Black with tan head. Some Coffee aroma. Pleasant coffee roast taste.

Name: Winter
Date: 12/01/2003
Mode: Bottle
Source: Whole Foods Market, DC
Vintage: 2003

almost black with ruby highlights, scant tan head, light roasted malt aroma, rich dry roasted malt flavor with a hint of chocolate that gets stronger and richer as it warms until it turns into an increadably rich chocolate porter with only a hint of roasted malts, very low bitterness
-------- /> Name: Winter
Date: 03/11/2004
Vintage: 2003

picking up a touch of tartness in the finish, loss of chocolate richness
-------- /> Name: Winter
Date: 04/13/2005
Vintage: 2003

rich bitter chocolate aroma, thin with big bitter oxidized character, love lost

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Score: **4
-------- /> The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

Polish porter is really Baltic Porter, a beer style that is a direct descendant of a British beer style, known as Imperial Stout. In the 18th Century British brewers sent strong, robust, flavorful stouts to Russia and the Baltics as a winter warmer. These beers became so popular, Russian/Baltic/Eastern European breweries(Poland being one of them, hence the name) began brewing their own versions of this beer style with a slight twist. These breweries were lager breweries, so naturally, they used the lager yeast strains in their breweries, instead of brewing with an ale yeast strain, which was traditionally used in Imperial Stout. Baltic porter as a style was born, and over the years, it has be produced by only a handful of Russian/Baltic/Eastern European brewers. Poland has some excellent examples with brands like Okocim and Zyweic porters, that have a strong cult following here in the US among Polish immigrants, and beer lovers. Polish Porter is similar to Imperial Stout, but due to the use of a lager yeast strain these beers tend to be smoother, rounder, cleaner, and lack the fruity estery flavors of an Imperial Stout. OD version is true to style, but is a little low in alcohol, coming in at only 5.8% abv. 8%-10%+ is on par with the style, but the lower abv, makes OD Winter Brew ’03 a very, very drinkable brew, with lots of big roasty/coffee aromas and flavors, and lots of big chocolate malty aromas and flavors as well. It is brewed with German malts, and Polish hops, and of course a lager yeast strain. It is then cold conditioned like a lager, and makes for a wonderful, flavorful beer, just perfect for the Winter season. Old Dominion Winter Brew ’03 pours to a beautiful, deep brown to black color with a creamy white head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is fantastic with lots of big aromas of chocolate, coffee, and roasty malt aroma with a nice back drop of herbal hop spice. The palate is firm with lots of big chocolate malt, coffee, and roasty flavors that just glide over the tongue. The body on the beer is just so round and polished, making it so drinkable. OD Winter Brew ’03 finishes with more chocolate and coffee flavors up front, then ends with some nice mild roasty flavors that lingers. Another fantastic beer from OD, of a style of beer that is very rare. I would have liked a little more alcohol heat in this beer, but the lower abv in this beer is only a minor flaw.

Poured a deep chestnut color with a thin tan head. Aroma of roasted malt and mild chocolate. Flavor is lightly tart with chocolate and roasted malt. Slightly bitter on the finish. Light to medium body.

5.8% is a high gravity beer? No quite. Anyway I very much liked this beer. it was smooth, rich and tasty. Not overpowering or cloyingly sweet. Excellent and one of Dominion’s better winter brews.

Pours a dark, dark opaque brown with absolutely no head. Very still. Smell is nicely smoky and nutty. Taste is malty and creamy immediately with light coffee flavors sneaking in there as it goes. Quite smoky and nutty and lightly sweet from the maltiness. A bit light or thin on the palate. Would liked to have a fuller mouth. Very smooth for a very flavorful beer. would have liked just a touch of carbonation (this beer had basically none) to add a bit of a refreshing quality to this beer but maybe that is indicative of the style, only the second baltic porter I’ve ever had.

I can’t believe I actually found a couple of these just recently as they haven’t been in the store for a while. I thought I would pick up a couple of bottles and give it a try to see how they held up. The 12 oz bottle had a bottled on date of November 12, 2003. A deep opaque black liquid poured from the bottle with about a half-inch of tan head residing on top. After making its entrance the head quickly dropped to a light scattering of bubbles leaving not much in the way of lace. Dark chocolate mixed with a bit of roasted malt mingled in the nose with notes of berries. There was also a bit of an earthy hop presence as well. The flavor started off a bit tart with berries before the coffee and dark chocolate stormed through. A roasted lingering aftertaste was how this finished. The body was about medium with a nice slick mouthfeel that went down very easy. Very drinkable as I would have had more if it was available. Hopefully this brew will return sometime, but for now these bottles have held up pretty darn well.

Bottle: Deep, dark brown color with a nice mahogany tint and a small off-white head. Aroma: dark roasted coffee, cocoa, roasted malts, anise, espresso. Taste has bitter hops, bitter dark roasted malts up front, cocoa, cola, chocolate, carrot, alcohol, tea, brown sugar, vinous malts. Interesting.

Perfectly brown color, decked out in an impressive, fluffy, rich toasty tan head. Aroma: ah, goodness! Espresso, tar, pitch, cola, thick, and twisted. A wickedly arousing smell, redolent with dark, devilish flavors. Taste: Small hops, major malt, full-bodied, and ringing with continual tastiness. Bits of anise speak up, dark fruits for a cameo, sqeaks of dark rum, shades of bitter root, and it’s rather smooth despite the complexity. Mouthfeel is lush and warm, and it hangs sturdily on the palate. In the end, though, this doesn’t really reach the heights attained by the greatest examples of the baltic porter style, lacks their power and fullness of flavor, but I’ve got to admire the attempt.