Hopfenstark Baltic Porter de LAncrier

Brewed by Hopfenstark
Style: Baltic Porter
L’Assomption, Canada

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Sampled draught at the Mondial, Montreal (May 2007). Opaque with a nice bit of lasting head, utterly black....aroma is at first dominated by plump dark grapes and prunes, but soon lovely roasty malts show up, and chocolate-covered cherries sweeten things up later....the body follows quite as you would expect, very fruity and chocolaty, blueberries bursting through chocolate frosting and light whispers of cherry sauce swirling around....little bitterness to go with the light roastiness until the very finish, when a faint burnt note arrives....low carbonation, could be fuller in the mouth. Still very, very solid.

Bottle. Dark but thin enough to not look heavy or thick. Light alcohol and soaking licorice root and earth scent. Thin light brown head. Body seems thin for a Baltic Porter. Has a noticeable bit of booze that mixes with the chocolate and coffee with hints of molasses and licorice. Has more of a dark spirit flavour than beer. Could have been aged in barrels but was not.

On tap @ Vices et Versa, Montreal. Pors a nice deep dark brown. Bitter & slight sourness & tartness. Medium mouthfeel, light chocolate flavor. Prefer both the victory & smuttynose

Draft at Ginger Man NYC with Streets, Andrew and Brendan. Pours a dark brown body with thin lacing. Aroma is slightly smoky. Mouthfeel is smooth with sweet notes of oak. Great Porter

Bottle: Poured a deep black color ale with nice light brown foamy head with good retention and some very good lacing. Aroma of rich black chocolate with light residual sugar notes. Taste is also a great mix between some rich black chocolate with light roasted notes. Body is bit thin for style with great carbonation with no apparent alcohol. Very well brewed with great drinkability factor.

Pours a black color with brown highlights and a medium, light brown head. Aroma of chocolate and vanilla beans, there’s a promise of luscious malt in there. Good flavor of chocolate with rich roasted malt and a dry, bitter finish. THe body is medium with a creamy texture and moderate carbonation.

Tap at Spuyten Duyvil. Aroma of palm oil, roast, with a slick, greasy, thick and steaky body to it. Light bitter in the mouth with good complexity, with lots of roasty coffee in there. Notes of root vegetables are present. Balanced and clean, kind of bourbony despite its lack of barrel aging. Chalky and creamy and easy drinking. I’m looking forward to trying the BBA’d version of this Fred provided.

Tap Mondial. Deep rich smell of roast coffee, dark brown, ruby at the sides, small cappuccino head. Fine coffee flavour, dark chocolate, treacle, brazil nuts, liquorice. Full bodied,complex, very well balanced, bitter and bold. Great!

Tap at Spuyten Duyvil: Very deep brown pour with a khaki ring of head. Rich yet soft aroma- some licorice notes and light vanilla under a predominantly chocolaty malt nose. Creamy body (all of his beers have a nice palate) Rich flavor but smooth- fudgey, only mildly roasted with a soft fruitiness from the yeast that meshes with the nice chocolty malt presence- light vanilla as well. A rich yet cohesive & easy drinker.

On tap, Mondiale 09. Very dark brown, creamy dark head. Oily roast aroma. Great taste - soft mouthfeel, slightly syrupy, Acidic and smooth. Very easy to drink for this style. Excellent.