Alaskan Baltic Porter

Brewed by Alaskan Brewing Co
Style: Baltic Porter
Juneau, Alaska USA

Pours black with a thin tan head. Aromas of oak and cherries. Smooth with a noticeable whiskey flavor that I’ve never experienced before. Finishes fruity and sweet on the palate. Very nice beer if you’re a fan of whiskey as well.

22 oz. sample glass-Aroma of cherries, whiskey, and oak. Very different, smooth, and tasty. As it warms I begin to taste the vanilla in the aftertaste. A great porter.

22 oz bottle. 2009 vintage. Aroma is of fermented cherries, whiskey, vanilla, and brown sugar (apart from the whiskey, just like the label says). The thick head it starts out with turns pretty thin somewhat quickly. Never had a Baltic Porter before. It’s very strange to my taste buds. Never had anything quite like it. I don’t really taste the whiskey, but the other ingredients I spoke of on the label are definitely prominent. Alcohol is very noticeable. Very complex.

Pours black with a thick tan head. Dark fruit, chocolate malt and roasted grain aroma. Smooth crisp roasted malt taste with nice touches of chocolate and raisin in the taste. Very complex and well done version of a great style. Stunning beer, excellent.

[Vintage 2008] Bottle... Poured deep, brownish/amber with a light brown head. Lightly carbonated palate. Roasted malts and a lactic yeast character. Fruity, alcohol warmth and a low bitterness.

Tongue-in-cheek jokes about Alaska aside, they have, if nothing else, been home to the Alaskan Brewing Company who brews a phenomenal Rauche beer. Or so I am told; I have yet been lucky enough to try one. Rauche beers aside, I am lucky enough today to be sitting down with their Baltic Porter. The world of Porters is vaguely diverse, and the Baltic Porter was a style that originated in the Baltic region of Europe during the height of Porter exportation. Typically, they tend to be richer and spicier with a dryer, roasted, woody palate. How will Alaskan Brewing hold up? They are just a wee bit away from the Baltic region of Europe.

He came to me upon one starless night dressed in solid black with a thin blackish tan head that lingers as a weak film. Dark fruits galore fill my senses with dates, prunes, licorice root, raisins, figs, and a soothing undercurrent of roots and black earth. Cracked peppercorn and spices give his thick, rich nose a hit in the finish. Vanilla root whispers soft, sweet nothings even as I raise my glass and dive deep into his abyssal depths. Spice hits my tastebuds first, setting my senses aglow with devilish warmth. Peppercorn and chili peppers leads into a soothing presence of licorice, vanilla bean, and roots buried deep in dark, nutrient-rich earth. Crumbly dark chocolates mingle with mouth-coating fresh cream. The dark fruits flesh out the middle of his palate, even as a playful nip of lactic sourness lingers in the back of my throat. A very chewy Baltic Porter, her spice and earthiness takes center stage while dark fruits, lactic sourness, cream, and dry black chocolates offer solid support from the background. Well played and very delicious; be sure to take your time with Alaska Brewing’s Baltic Porter.

I will never move to Alaska, though I have heard it is a beautiful place to visit. If I ever make it up to that northern frontier of America, I will have to make Alaska Brewing my first destination. After all, nothing warms one up body and soul better than a handful of well crafted beers.

Deep brown, thin off white head. Aroma is light alcohol, smoke, and chocolate. Taste is chocolate, light alcohol, caramel.