Baltika 6 Porter

Brewed by Baltika Brewery (Baltic Beverages Holding - Carlsberg)
Style: Baltic Porter
St. Petersburg, Russia

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

Looked great, but this thing was an oxidized mess. Flavor was vegetably and not really very porter like at all after it warmed... only slight hints of coffee and molasses. Much more pepper (vegetable), rice, slight czech hopping.

I will weigh in with the thought that this beer is deeply under-rated (3.46 as I rate in January 2004). Pours a deep deep color, black and brown with just a bit of a swirl of head. Though I poured it when too cold, the alcohol propelled a robust aroma, mocha coffee-like with a later sense of just a bit of grape/port fruitiness. The first taste made me exclaim, "YUM! Liquid Chocolate!" to my wife, and she agreed that it held an appealing chocolate flavor, which settled into deeper roasted malt notes when it warmed a bit. At the very end some alcohol came out but this was very minor. The body is excellent in the porter style, rich and soothing. I found it very easy to drink this beer way too fast. Fantastic.

Hmm, my first Baltic Porter. Bottle. Aroma of brown sugar and dark malt, vague background sweetness, perhaps a memory of toastmalt. And a touch of alcohol. Coal black with a medium-dark brown head. Chewy with and earthy with strong molasses and roast and treacle and brown sugar, dry with medium bitterness and a little (good) ash. Alcohol gives good structure here, but the body will never be characterized as anything thicker than medium. Crisp, almost spicy. Roasty taste reminds me more of an abbey ale than a porter, just a little harsher and thinner. Medium bitterness. Roast malt, dark chocolate, coffee is imagined but still part of the profile, raisin. Seems to have been reasonable well balanced. Quite dry molasses finish. Not bad, wouldn’t want to finish the whole bottle, though.

Rich caramel and roasty malt sweetness. Molasses and Twizzlers, Bohemian malt and light fruity hops. Coffee and anise notes, cocoa. Earthy, grassy, herbal. Dark black-brown clear, with thin light tan lacing head. Medium heavy watery body with medium carbonation. Starts malty and sweet, reminds me of doppelbock. Caramel and coffee, anise. Mild carbonic tang and saltiness toward the finish. Light dry roasted malt and bitterness. After is grainy and mildly sweet. Just a bit watery overall, but nice taste. Hint of the 7% abv.

Almost black with a light brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt and liquorice. Flavor is rather sweet and light bitter.Roasted bitter and sweet finish. Easily the best I’ve had from Baltika. 050311

Bottle sample at the Hopsnobbery Collective "From Russia With Suds" tasting on 1/2/10. Clear brown pour with a medium beige head. Creamy malt aroma with some roast and a bit of sweet chocolate. Sweet chocolate flavor with some creamy malt and a roasty finish. Very nicely done Baltic Porter.

Pours to a deep ruby body with a lasting thick fluffy tan head. The aroma is dusty/yeasty malt. The flavor is dry coffee, tart corny lagering, not exciting nor good. The palate is medium bodied and overly warming, dusty and fizzy feel. I’m not understanding this beer at all. Seems to be a mess.

Bottle from the cool Russian store in Zagreb that supplied me with exactly the right Baltikas we missed (and some kvass!). Shared with heavy. Poured a blackish brown body with an off whtie thick head. Very light chewy malty nose, light. Sweet, raisins, roasty malty taste, balanced, dry, with a hint of alcohol. A tasty porter indeed, even if it’s not the strongest one.