Karl Strauss Parrot in a Palm Tree

Brewed by Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Style: Baltic Porter
San Diego, California USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Bomber bought almost a year ago at Holiday Wine Cellar ($7.49). Pours a dark brown with some red highlights and two fingers of tan head. Aroma is on the weak side but has notes of creamy chocolate, dark fruit, and toasted malts. Flavor of nice dark raisin-y port wine, cocoa, caramel, and light molasses. Nice level of sweetness. Creamy mouthfeel. Feels kind of light considering the 8.5%. Good effort from Karl. (58, 648)

Bottle shared by cptnspeed1 (i think)...thanks Brad (I think)! - Pours mahogany with a thin tan head. Nose is molasses, brown sugar, lots of sweet, bready malt--but I don’t smell any of the port barrel. Taste is a little less sweet, with more maltiness and a raisin notes. Big, thick, and slick. This one has the emphasis on the sweet and decadent, but I really hoped for the port to make more of a presence.

Bottle shared in line for GTMW tickets (Madison, WI). Pours a rich roasty brownish hue, good murkiness, frothy tannish head, touch of lacing as it rings. Aromas are toffee, touches of malty caramel, faint biscuit, cocoa. Some mellow spice, brown sugar, touch of dried fruit. Initial is medium bodied, offering dried cocoa, toffee, toast into the fold. Some mellow toffee, gentle biscuit, brown sugar. Middle is a touch swete and thick, quickly moving into a dry and mellow spiced finish. Dried toast, dry hops. Abv is well hidden. Solid beer.

20th March 2012
Bottle in the hotel before night before Norway trip. Lihgt haze on the warm brown coloured beer. Nice nose of toffee and dried fruits. Smooth softish palate. Creamy malty with a subtle dark malt undertones. The barrelling seems to have rounded this off nicely, Subtle wood. Nice tawny port tones with dark toffee and subtle dried fruits. Mild minerals and a whisper of bitterness in the semi dry finish. Really nicely done. Subtle but flavoursome and well joined up. Possibly unique being tawny port barrelled as well.

Bottle:   Cola in color, large foamy beige head, nice lacing.   Pale roasted malts, chocolate, cocoa, and very slight vinous like aromas.   Not a strong roast, fairly soft.   Smidgen of cocoa or chocolate on the tongue.   I am getting some raisin like presense, with some alcohol warming.   Fairly smooth, body and mouthfeel are moderate.   Not a thick beer by any means, but its at least smooth.   Seems light in flavor for a Baltic Porter.   A bit more alcohol is noticeable too as its warming on the back of the tongue.   Almost has a slight sour aspect to it, well tart.   As it warms I get a little woodiness out of it.   Good, different, but certainly not a heavy example.   Thanks Ron!

22 oz. bomber from 2010. The aroma on this changed significantly as it warmed up. When relatively cold (55 F), it had an aroma of cream and wood with roasted chocolate grain in the background. As it warmed, the alcohol became more present and the roasted grain character became more pronounced. Initially had a puffy tan head that settled fairly quickly to a very light lacing on top of the crystal clear ruby colored body (the most "ruby" colored beer I think I’ve ever seen!). The initial taste is cream and sweet milk chocolate with a little bit of dark/bittersweet chocolate in the back. There’s some brown sugar and marshmallow in there too followed by a light raisin/prune taste. After the initial chocolate milkshake effect, there’s a light dry roasted bitterness that seems to be from wood, hops and alcohol all at the same time. Finishes with the same dichotomy of cream and dry bitterness with a lasting sweet chocolate aftertaste. This struck me more as a heavy version of a milk stout more than a Baltic porter, but in the end it’s just plain delicious!

2/10/11 bomber from dakine. clear. pale porter color with a reddish-orange tint. mild roasty aroma followed by notes of chocolate, vinous/grapey fruit, wood and slight smoke. the flavor is the same along with a coffee character which lingers in the after taste. it is rather thin bodied... but that adds to the drinkability. 7.5/3/7.5/3/15

(22oz bomber) clear copper, lasting soapy bubbles. Nose of chocolate, agave, cocoa and florals. Taste of chocolate and caramel, hoppy, and an oily body.

Bottle 22fl.oz. @ UK-SCO Tasting in Ulfborg.

[ Trade by JohnC ]. Clear dark brown red color with a large, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly to fully lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, toffee, light roasted and dark fruit. Flavor is light heavy sweet and light to moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20110409]

Bottle at Jan & Charlottes tasting, Ulfborg, Denmark 09.04.11 cheers Jan & Charlotte This is aged in port wine barrels apparently, however it’s quite subtle as I didn’t really pick this up too much especially not on the nose which yes showed some but not much. Pours dark brown with a tan head, as Craig mentioned this looks a little thin. Some bonfire toffee, warmth from the alcohol, chewy sweet. Not fantastic but a good label. A6 A4 T7 P4 Ov14 3.5