Koff Porter

Brewed by Sinebrychoff (Carlsberg)
Style: Baltic Porter
Kerava, Finland

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

UPDATED: NOV 12, 2009 Bottle from Crown #6. Pours Black with brown edge and quick fading brown head. Nose is faint chocolate and dark malt. Taste is....a mess. The chocolate and dark malt is still there, but it’s sour in a not-so-good way. Slight carbonation that doesn’t help either. Just an all around odd taste that distracts from a beer that had a chance till I swallowed. Felt obligated to re-rate from my Draft serving at FFF (bumped it from a 2.6 to a 4.1) Poured pitch black with 1 finger tan head. Smooth and creamy dark malt and chocolate with a persistent black licorice taste that compliments nicely. Very good this time, I think I must have had a bad bottle.

UPDATED: OCT 14, 2009 Intensely dark in color with minimal, ’leggy’ head. Aroma is fantastic with bits of smoke, coffee, licorice, and brown sugar. Much less sweet than some other highly-regarded baltic porters. Layers of peat, smoke, and roasted malt veil the slightest nuance of green olive. Mouthfeel is smooth, alcohol is supremely hidden, and my only complaint is that the body is a tad thin for the richness of the flavors and aromas. Without a doubt, this is one of the kings of the style. Hail Finland!

24oz stein. Pours black with a nice size tan head. Long lasting lace. Aroma was rich roasted malt, brown sugar, dark fruit and chocolate. The flavor is just as rich. Roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruit, earthy flavors. A light smoked flavor to the whole thing as well. Has a good mouth feel, some light carbonation and a clean dry finish. I liked this beer. Doesn’t have that metallic after taste like a lot of American Porters.

This Baltic poter is outstanding, with rich, complex flavour and texture, yet high drinkability. Basically black, it has a very large, rich, frothy light brown head that shrinks only slowly to a permanent, thin, foamy top and rich, frothy lace. The aroma is mild wine, chocolate, prunes, toast. Although with firm, complex elements, it’s somewhat subdued. The taste is rich, complex, smooth and clean. All flavours, sweetness and bitterness are beautifully balanced with complex taste of leaves, chocolate, dark toasted brown bread, prunes, a hint of port, some raisin, black pepper, the latter stronger in the finish, with an increasing taste of black coffee condensed with brown sugar that is stronger by the end. It is rather dry throughout, not too bitter or sweet. In the middle, it has a definite but light sweetness and light but slightly stronger bitterness right at the finish, but for most of the time, up front and in the final finish and aftertaste, it is mostly dry, clean, and leafy.

Bottle from La Bodega.. Pours brown with a mocha head.. Aroma is roasty, chocolate, coffee, beef jerky.. Flavor is very roasty with some coffee and a lingering bitterness. I think one of the brewers might have dropped a cigarette in there as well.. Not an everyday drinker for me but still pretty good.

(Bottled) Black. Medium sized, tan coloured and lighty fizzy head. Roastedness, liquorice and some coffee in aroma. Full bodied palate with medium carbonation. Roastedness, lightly ash, liquorice, some coffee and bitterness in taste. Long lasting roasty and bitter aftertaste.

Amazing porter! The aroma is very fruity, chocolate, roasted coffee. The appearance is a beautifule deep brown, tan head. The flavor is like the aroma, fruity up front, with bitter chocolate an\d roasted coffee notes following behind. The finish has a light bittering from hops, and roasted coffee flavors. The mouithfeel is a medium to thick, smooth. Very enjoyable beer.

Draught, on 25th July 2009, at Ginger Man NYC. Solid, impenetrably black with earthy brown head giving "swiss cheese patterning" in its lacing. Looks very handsome in the glass. Creamy lacticity and some citrus notes are met simultaneously by smoky, roasted malts which combine in a pungent kick. This is followed by a short, sharp finish containing sour and bitter notes all delivered on a smooth, but not untextured, mouthfeel. Very rewarding porter!