Närke Stormaktsporter

Formerly brewed at Närke Kulturbryggeri
Style: Imperial Stout
Örebro, Sweden

Serve in Snifter

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Sample at EBF08. Black colour with brown small head. Wonderful aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, coffe and liquorice. Thick, but not too oily. Flavor is much like the aroma with vanilla and a little bitter´ness. WOnderfully balanced. Very good indeed.

2006 bottle at Bishop Arms Savoy in Malmo (4.5) Nose is maple-smoked Canadian bacon, molasses, horsehair and sweaty saddles. Seaweed and soy, chocolate-covered Luxardo cherries, dried longans, brined black cherries, red currant, brown licorice.
Mouth is woooooo salty! Viscous and briny and like dried seaweed and jerky drizzled with sweet black soy. Old pork rinds and cracklins, with a bit of dried cherry tang, maybe some umeboshi. Mole sauce on salty grilled pork, char smell rising from a hot stone/clay oven. Quite interesting, and my favorite of the three vintages tried. Less umami characteristic than Dave, a nice balance of sweet and savory. The finish fades out sherry-like.

2007 bottle at Akkurat in Stockholm (4.4) This is probably the sweet spot for drinking age, although I did still prefer the 2006. This had almost perfect balance, but less complexity than either the 2006 or the 2008. Almost like a Black Forest cake soaked in soy sauce, whereas the Kagen was a German Chocolate cake soaked in fish sauce.

2008 bottle at Bishop Arms Savoy in Malmo (4.3) Nose is much like the 2006, but more bacony and smoky, maybe like salt pork. Boozier, kirschier, boysenberry syrup. Mouth is stickier, much brighter than the 2006, less umami, more fruit--chocolate dipped raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, black cherries, very juicy. Much less ham and smoke than the nose, body is a bit lighter as well. Brazil nuts oil finish. As it opened, it mellowed and became more similar to the 2006, but still a bit too forward for me.

2006 bottle at Bishop Arms Savoy in Malmo (4.3)
noticeable oxidized sherry in the nose with rich chocolate fudge malt, muted plums and black cherries, and medium-stregth alcohol. creamy and smooth body with low carbonation and vanilla and chocolate syrup richness. fudge splendor! some light mineral / clay notes and frothy, dense carbonation release. slightly pasty and mineral-heavy late with touches of black currant esters in the finish. of the three years this is the most faded and muted, but still wonderfully expressive and nourishing.

2007 bottle at Akkurat in Stockholm (4.6)
the brightness of the alcohol is tempered, allowing the fudge chocolate nose and dark plum / berry esters to flourish and play with decadent sweet creamy malt. incredibly full and dense body with astounding richness. macadamia and brazil nuts and cocoa presented on a succulent umami body. likely one of the best imperial stouts I’ve had, and much prefered over the kaggen and cognac versions.

2008 bottle at Bishop Arms Savoy in Malmo (4.5)
brighter and more vibrant with stronger alcohol, giving it a bourbon-soaked nose full of dark chocolate, brazil nuts, vanilla and coconut. rich and succulent body with velvet carbonation and a striking, bold flavor (bourbon, fudge, rich chcocolate / nougat cake). pleasant umami. brighter alcohol seems to mask the flavos compared to older bottle, but there’s really no flaws and no bad characteristics present at all. creamy, decadent and soft body with prickly and lively alcohol late. honey and berry esters grow as it opens.

Black with light brown head. Nose, licorice, barrell, vanilla, coconut, ham, blackberries, dusty bricks. Taste, licorice, wood, nice well balanced bitterness, smokey, salty, soy, dark chocolate, coffee grounds, red/green apples. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

2008 bottle. Dark beer with ruby glints when held against the light. Complex nose of smoked meats, ripe pit fruit, molasses and chocolate cake. Only an oily slick for a head. Big sweet beer with sweet molasses, dark brown sugar, roasted grains and something almost smokey. Warming alcohol sensation. Long ash and dying campfire finish, but with a great sweet balance. Very complex beer. Many thanks to a Secret Santa for sending this to me.

250 ml bottle at Akkurat (2007). Pitch black pour with a ring if tan foam that leaves a light lacing on the glass. From the bottle, the aroma was a real chocolate bomb, but from the glass more faults became visible. The chocolate was much more subtle, and it showed real signs of over aging, mainly soy sauce. Some molasses and roasted grain complete the range of aromas. Taste is sweet and roasty, good balance, no perceptible alcohol but again obvious signs of oxidization. Palate is chewy, low carb, sweet and sticky. Tasty, but unfortunately past its prime according to me, don’t get it unless there is a more recent vintage available.

250ml bottle from the 2005 vintage. I had to try this one when I spotted it in the Bishop’s Arms. Pours out black like engine oil with not the remotest chance of any head forming. Immediately I can tell this is one of the best smelling beers I’ve ever experienced. Smoke, treacle, chocolate, sherry, toffee, black cherry... they’re all here. Wonderful. In the mouth it’s a slightly different story. It can still just about be described as silky smooth, but it must have lost some character over the years. I never had a fresh one but I’d wager it would have had more bite than this seven year old example. But having said that, this has held up marvellously well for a beer of that age. In its mellower state it’s still a force to be reckoned with, and an unforgettable experience.

17/04/2012 - 2007 vintage bottle shared by Matt (thanks 50belair!) @ Brasserie 4:20. Nera, densa, impenetrabile, leggerissima schiuma color cappuccino. Aroma intenso di cioccolata fondente, caffé, liquirizia, leggera ossidazione. In bocca è meravigliosamente bilanciata, sebbene sbilanciata sul dolce, cioccolata fondente, caffé, ancora una leggera nota di liquirizia sul finale. I cinque anni di invecchiamento gli hanno fatto perdere un po’ di corpo e forse un po’ di carattere, ma rimane una grandissima imperial stout.

2008 version. Colour black with a creamy brown foam. Aroma: Dark chocolate, coffee and raisins. similar taste, full-bodied, carbonation soft, very smooth and bitter finish with long duration...

2009 draught at Linköping beer expo. Opaque, black liquid with small to medium dark brown head. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, cereal malt and licorice. Really complex. Taste is light sweet, medium bitter with roasted notes. Full bodied with good carbonation. Really great.

Little 2008 bottle sent by cgarvieuk to bsuedekum- thanks, Craig and Blake! Pours a deep, dark brown, opaque in the center and somewhat amber on the edges when held up to light, with a small tan head. Aroma of deep, rich roasted malts, chocolate, charred wood, fig, faint plum, molasses. Flavor of the same big, rich roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, molasses, caramel, licorice, and earth. Medium-full bodied, with a smooth, roasty, rich mouthfeel and low carbonation. Complex imperial stout. Incredible sipper. Right up my alley.