Baltika 6 Porter

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

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

Baltika Porter--Dark--#6--20 16.9 oz. Bottle. 7.00% ABV. (4.5 / 5.0) Porter--Imperial. Clear dark black red color. Tawny lacy head. Roasted fruity mild hop front. Sweet rich smooth creamy roasted cocoa caramel cherry fruit body. Sweet balanced mild hop end. Tangy mild hop Imperial Porter. Sampled 5/12/2003. Baltika Brewery--#6 Porter 2006--16.9 oz. Bottle. 7.00% ABV. 25 IBU’s? (3.75 / 5.0) Porter--Baltic. Lacy foamy mild tan head. Clear opaque thin black red color. Mild smoky roasted mild hop front. Tangy thin dry sweet roasted mild chocolate burnt malt liquor body. Tangy lingering sweet malt hop EtOH end. Sampled 11/28/2006. Baltika Brewery--St. Petersburg, Russia--Baltika #6 Porter--2007 16.9 oz. Longneck Bottle. 7.00% ABV. 20 IBU’s? (4.25 / 5.0) 2 @ $2.49 Each. Mild lacy light espresso head. No sediment. Clear dark red brown black color. Medium thick pour. Mild roasted chocolate fruit hop front. Cloying mild sweet toffee black cherry mild chocolate smooth body. Mild hop hot EtOH rich smooth Porter end. Sampled 3/13/2008. Baltika Breweries--#6 Porter--2008 16.9 oz. Longneck Clear Plastic Label Bottle. 7.00% ABV. 25 IBU’s? (4.0 / 5.0) Porter--Baltic. Thin no lace espresso head. Clear dark deep ruby red black color. Thickish pour. Rich chocolate mild hop front. Mild sweet creamy slightly tangy chewy chocolate biscuit mild black cherry fruit toffee hint body. Smooth mild hop spice mild hot EtOH clean finish. Sampled 8/9/2008. 2 @ $2.69 Each.

Having bought this lately, I couldn’t wait to open it. Russia’s number 1. Well that is quite a name to live up to. It mostly delivers just that. I can almost taste the roasted salty fish caught in Siberian waters and the smokey fires that keep the Inuit from Kamchatka warm. I wonder why all those Russians drink vodka if they have this, I definitely prefer this over a vodka. But I’m more of a whisky person anyways. Is that peat in the finish? Ahh, great. I’m off enjoying this further.

So, this is a bit of an adventure of a rating. There I was walking on the corner of Pike and Broadway, and there’s this damned metal grate on the ground. Well this being Seattle and all, of course it was raining. So, I slipped on this grate, the bottle somehow tore its way out of the bag, and hit the ground. I almost fell on my ass as well. The cap loosened and beer squirted all over me and every where else. So I decided to open it up and sample it right there next to the Blockbuster.

Dark brown with a large creamy head. Roast aromas with some chocolate and caramel. Maybe some mocha. Anise floats about in the flavor and aroma. The flavors do a good job of mimicing the aroma, but the hops and mocha come out a bit more. Thick and creamy body, with a sweet malty finish.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown black with a tall frothy beige head. Nose is light but malty. With chocolate, dried fruits, and dough. Lightly bitter chocolate is the first flavor with raisins, malt, grain, and molasses. A smooth creaminess balances out the dry bitterness. Decent baltic porter.

16.9 Fl. Oz. Best Before 26.09.05 Awesome. Poured with a nice long lasting beige head. Started at about an inch then faded to 1/4 in. Clung to the sides of the glass. Dark brown with garnet highlights. Aroma: Dark chocolate, rasins, and caramel. No hops. All malt baby. Alcohol. Taste: Reminds me a lot of one of the Reisen candys. Subtle sweetness, with some dark chocolate and coffee. Some hop bitterness. Very easy to drink. Palate: Med-full body. Carbonation level give a very ’mouth-fillng sensation. Overall: Outstanding nightcap. I think I may start keeping a couple of these around the house. At 7%, its just enought to enjoy the full pint and give you that sleepy feeling.

Possibly THE best porter that I have ever tried. None of the ashey-ness that I find in 99% of the porters that I try. Lots of good choclate and coffee with a wonderful silky mouthfeel.

500 ml bottle

While on a run to get something for a trade this caught my eye. Figuring the worst case scenario was that it was a drainpour I took a risk on the $1.79 bottle. It turned out to be one of the better values that I have found. On par with many of the other baltic porters (or imperial porters) in the world it is also the cheapest one. This will make it a great standby for those times when I don’t want to open anything rare.

Aroma / Appearance - The deep black body swirled fluidly around the snifter leaving a khaki colored head in its wake. Licorice, peanut brittle and flat Cherry Coke merge into a sweet smelling blend that reminds me of vending machine chocolate in a smoky bowling alley.

Flavor / Palate - Blackberries and plums hit the tongue almost immediately. After settling they become licorice, chocolate chip cookies and ash. The finish reverts to licorice before slowly fading away on the back of the throat. Everything is reasonably balanced and very fluid. This is one of the best ’cheap’ beers that I have tried. Since the risk is so low why not give it a shot?

Dark black body with an off white head. Aroma has some cream, sugar and roasted malts. Flavor is sweet, dark malts, creamy coffee, molasses and sugar. Pretty smooth and easy to drink. Simple and flavorful.