Lunar King Baltic Porter

Formerly brewed at Baron Brewing & Lunar Brewing
Style: Baltic Porter
Seattle, Washington USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Bomber from Big Star in Seattle. This as "King Porter" at 9%. Pours wild beer. Foam mushroomed at the top of the glass. So make that a 5 finger foamy beige head. Color is ruddy brown; quite dark. Aroma suggests cola, with a lot of malt. Med plus body. Flavor is chocolate? With lots of dark near toasted malt. There’s dark fruit. There’s arguably coffee. And I still get chocolate. It’s complex. Flavorful. But the nose conflicts, and the mix doesn’t gel well. Strange for hints of so many good things to turn out less than wonderful. But it’s not sticky! And the complexity is adding to the rating.

4 oz. @ SIB 2010 Not sure what I meant by ’[f]unny that it’s an ale.’ Maybe it’s super light and I meant porter instead of ale. Meh. Notes "Funny that it’s an ale. Not nearly as sweet as European BPs. Not a bad thing. Little bland."

West USA trip 2010. Bottled. As ’King Porter’ alias. The aroma has coffee, some roast and grass. Black coloured beer with an off-white head. The taste is sweet, bit bitter. It has coffee and grass mainly. Medium bodied. Okay.

Bottle. very dark brown with a fair light brown head. At first the scent is light but breathe deep and you get a deep dark fruit and spice scent with a sour tint in the dark malt. Dark malt flavour is over the top. Delicious chocolate roast malt flavour with a tasty sweetness.

Bottle sampled on 8/24/08: Pours a transparent dark mahogany with a thin ring of off-white head. Aroma of lightly sweet roasty malt and some tart light fruity character. Body starts slightly effervescent and bittersweet with a citric tartness before a roasty slightly dark chocolatey finish. Seems infected, but isn’t too bad.

Bottle:   Cola in color, perhaps a little bit moreso on the brown side, thin spritzy light beige head, falls quickly, sparce lacing.   Soft roasted malt nose, slight lactose like sweetness.   Smidgen of ash and charred wood.   Somewhat of a sweet soy like flavor on the tongue, quite sweet actually.   Otherwise roasty, lactose, with the aformentioned ash and charred wood.   Doesn’t feel like 9% ABV.   Fairly smooth on the tongue, on the sweet malty side.   Even becomes a little sour at the end, a little figgish sourness if that makes sense.   Lingering roasted malts, sour figs, and lactose like sweetness.   An odd combination, but not bad.   Not your typical NW Porter.

22 oz. Bottle Lacy thin espresso head.Sour sweet mild hop front.Thick sediment.Opaque dark black color.Tart mild chocolate tangy citrus mocha dry sweet body.Dry citrus end.Baltic Porter notes masked by infected citrus character.Dumped #2.Maybe good on tap.Aged Poor.

Picked up a single 22-oz bomber via trade with riversideAK. Pours a clear dark brown colroed brew with a thin tan head that quickly dissipates. The aroma is bittersweet roasted dark malts with some earth and tart fruit. Taste has some mild bitterness, medium bodied, with flavors of roasted dark malt, a hint of toffee, and some chocolate malt. Finish is slightly watery with some roasted dark malt, some burnt toast and a hint of coffee. Missing the sweet aftertaste I am used to in most baltic porters.

22oz Bottle pours a clear very dark brown. Small fleeting light tan head. Black inthe glass and thin constant head and spotty lacingAroma is clasic roasted sweet dark fruit. A little grape jelly maybe. After fears of a possibly infected batch...it tastes pretty OK. Standard coffe and roasted flavors. Fairly thin bodied, well attenuated and nice flavors. A bit tart but I don’t think in error. Not quite "Baltic:" enough but a fair porter.

Bottle: Pours a dark mahogany color with a little hint towards blackness. The nose is nutty, with lots of nuts, roast n’ toast, carob, chewy toffee, instant coffee grounds and a bit of astringency. The flavor is acidic with a bit of astringency to balance, not much for hops, but whatever low pH thing is going on in the mouthfeel, it balances the roasty sweetness. The finish is a bit fruity with apple, grape and cherry. Interesting blend. I don’t think it’s infected, just not a great recipe. I love the nuttiness in the nose though.