Garrison Grand Baltic Porter

Brewed by Garrison Brewing Company
Style: Baltic Porter
Halifax, Canada

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Pours an oily deep amber-brown body with a decent mocha head that settles down rather quickly, until it reaches about 1cm. Aroma is woody, floral hops, caramel, toffee, old cheese, some smokiness, spices and dates. Taste: caramel, roasted malt, dates, brown sugar, vague hop presence, floral, a little medicinal, soft and round. Not bad, but probably the worst of their brew.

Tastes of sweet malt - a little too sugary for me. Smells sweet too. No head retention, pours clear brown. A little roast but not much. Meh. Bottle to kill the hangover.

One of the toastiest beers I have ever had. Maybe they started with an IPA and threw it on the campfire? The flavours are sharp here, not much intermingling but a duel to the death between the roastiness and the hops. Definitely NOT a session brew, but just an ephemeral experience for your gullet.

Des notes sévères de mélasse et de torréfaction soutenu par une présence en bouche très enveloppante.

UPDATED: SEP 17, 2012 (500mL from LCBO) Poured at cellar temperature, a clear dark brown with auburn accents and a thin ring of head quickly dissipating off-white head. Aroma of molasses, dates, muscat grapes, raisins, rum balls, woodiness. Flavour is sweet to start, molasses, cocoa powder, vinous grape juice, dark fruit, something like smoky oak and light bittering hops leading to a dry finish where the alcohol makes the barest impression, again with chocolate. Smooth, malt and sugar addition-driven without much yeast character as expected. Fairly light mouthfeel for the ABV, no burn and soft carbonation. This feels like an old-school beer like I imagine the style to be typified by.

It pours deep mahogany almost black with auburn highlights; the head is beige and foamy. The aroma has notes of: molasses, cocoa, leather, rum, wet-cedar, and slight vanilla flower. The taste is medium sweet that finishes light dry; there are notes of: molasses, pumpernickel bread, dates, and dark chocolate. The palate is medium bodied, has low carbonation, and a little sticky. Overall, could use some body but the flavours stand well on their own.

500mL bottle from LCBO. Clear dark brown with very little head. Aroma of molasses, raisins, and smoke. Smooth sweet taste with raisins, dates, molasses, chocolate, and a little hint of smoke. 9% ABV well hidden. Medium-bodied.

Nice to see a bunch of new Garrison hitting the LCBO. This baltic porter pours a darker brown colour with lots of red highlights. Not much of a head, disappearing quickly and not leaving any lace. Aromas are mild with raisins, plums, chocolate and something sweet, kind of like grape juice. Nice medium-full bodied. Becomes hazy at last pour and smells a bit more balanced at that point. No burning at all (really, this is 9% ABV ??). Taste is not as sweet as one would think. Nicely blended bitterness with the dark fruits and chocolate coming out in the finish. A nice version of the style (as per the description).

500 mL bottle. Opaque cola brown. Just a ring of head. Malty in the nose. Dark, dried fruit. Light molasses. Grape juice? Anise. On the sweet side, as the style tends to be. Bitterness at the end (from alcohol?) Quite well done.

0.5l bottle from the LCBO. Served in a pint glass. Pours an opaque brown, small frothy beige head that dissipates quickly. Aroma: Grapes (muscat), chocolate, coffee. Palate: Full bodied. Creamy. Slow, slightly dry finish. Taste: Flavour packs a punch. Sweet and bitter, notable alcohol taste. Strong notes of butterscotch. Pretty good.