De Molen Tsarina Esra Imperial Porter

A vigorous pour leaves only the most pitiful of bubbles. Given a minute, the beer is completely still looking. Relatively thick dark, dark brown/black body. Dark chocolate, molasses, tobacco in the smell. Molasses, chocolate and funky dark fruits in the flavor. Vinous. Tar (in a good way) and tobacco. Herbs. Espresso. Definitely complex and interesting. Mouthfeel is thick with virtually no carbonation. Oily. Slightly alcoholic. Very interesting, and altogether quite tasty, beer. This one really doesn’t fit any one style perfectly. Probably best not to go in expecting a traditional Baltic Porter.

No head at all, flat in fact. Flavor is heavy in tobacco, anise and chocolate. some espresso but nothing special.

(Bottle thanks to Jeppe, one of the most friendly and generous reatbeerians out there) Pours black with brown lines and no head. The aroma is of light to medium sticky sweetness, medium roasted/burned malt and some vinous notes with tones of dark chocolate, dark berries, some blue mature grapes, black currant, light smoke, dark syrup, light caramel, wet stone, anise/sal ammoniac, dried fruits. and some light hints of limey/grassy/herbal hops. The flavour is of strong and spicy espresso, cocoa, liquorice and anise up front with vinous undertones. Other notable tones are wet stone, light dry smokiness, dark fruits/prunes, dark syrup alongside grassy and tiny citric hops. The mouthfeel is dry, soft and tiny sticky. Light to medium sweet and medium bitter. Some alcohol warmth. Medium to full bodied.

Bottle…Thinkin’ ‘Bout Thirteen Hours O’ Drinkin’ (tew man wrecking crew)... Pours pitch black with a quickly diminishing, fat bubbled, light brown head. All kinds of stuff going on here. The nose presents earthy leather, canvas and tobacco notes along with malty chocolate and subtle herbal musings of sassafras, sarsaparilla and fennel. Medium to full-bodied. So very rich; sweet and spicy; chocolaty and herbal. Moderate charcoal bitterness compliments chocolate sweetness. Finishes bittersweet, chocolaty and spicy. Ultra-complex. Strange, but very good! Thanks to Magic_dave6 for providing the bottle!

Courtesy hopscotch. Pours a dark brown/black, with not much of a head. Some light clear bubbles hug the edge of the glass. Smells of dark chocolate, some traces of dark fruit, alcohol heat, and a hint of vanilla and wood as well. The flavor was full bodied, lightly carbonated, with a pretty noticeable alcohol presence. A bit oily on the palate, there were big doses of roasted malts, and burnt chocolate. Nice bitter finish. with a woodsy, roasty aftertaste. Pretty nice big beer. Well done.