Koff Porter

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

33 cl bottle. Sugary impy stout smell upon opening. Pours a thick brown under an inch-high brown foam. First impression I get in tasting is its hops, a rare thing for a porter. But there they are, noble as Edward Tudor yet crude as Tom Canty. Backed up with plenty of molasses and fusels. It also reminds me of my very first Guinness all those years ago. Roasted graininess and wood burls, a little apricot and prune in the finish. Way too easy drinking for something this powerful!

Dark black-brown, opaque appearance, with a small but very dark brown head. Absolutely beautiful. Aroma of prunes and blackstrap molasses. The flavor is rich and roasty with blackstrap molasses. What a fine porter indeed!

I’m not sure exactly why this is called Koff Porter. Koff does not appear on the label at all, but not all things are meant to be understood. What I do understand is that this brew is a fine beverage. Pours dark and thick. Big, creamy, dark brown head that refuses to relent. Aroma of dark fruits and licorice, and the flavor more or less follows suit. Definitely some roast in there, bit of chocolate. Great long finish, creamy body, carbonation is perfect, just an all around delight to consume.

Rerate 3-13-09. Bought circa October 2008.
Dark brown to black (again, of course). Rich medium sized frothy mocha head, leaving copious lacing as it settles. Oh the sweetest chocolate mousse and coconut milk aroma on this one, comparable to Pannepot of all things. The nose has seriously kicked it up a notch in the last few months. Any bitterness previously there has mellowed significantly and now only factors into the finish. I don’t like my porters too light or too heavy; this one is just perfect, delivering all the goods. There is definitely something astoundingly Pannepotish in this one, just that instant of mellow chocolate mousse sweetness that hits you before melding into a light roasty bitterness. Perfect palate again. Overall, this is very, very good from an objective standpoint, but subjectively it’s still a little short of hitting that peak of deliciousness or complexity that takes a beer to the top. Besides that tiny criticism, this is highly recommended, buy several bottles and try them at different ages.
9 4 8 5 17 4.3

Orig. rating 5-13-07: Viscous, motor-oil black pour and a luscious chocolate mousse mocha-tan head. Roasty, chocolatey, turkish coffee aroma. Very full flavor, loads of malts, lots of roasty bitterness, also licorice. Oily body. A very excellent porter (probably because this is closer in style to my beloved imperial stouts), really glad I found this one. Salty finish.
7 5 8 5 17, 4.2

Peanut and oak aroma. Brownish black pour with a thin brown head, nice lacing. Roasted malt taste with some hops. Not overly sweet or tart. Smoke hops and vanilla finish. Middle of the road porter, but still a great beer.

Keg (St. Urho’s, Helsinki). The Baltic Porter style is basically the Imperial Stout of old, and this is a perfect example. Heavy oily roasted aroma, but not enough to prepare you for the huge smack in the gob when you first taste it. Sweet, spicey, coffee, malty by the bucketload, with crisp bitter notes, and a sharpness from the carbonation that almost makes this 7.2%-er "refreshing". All of the above is well balanced I must add, which might be due to it being top-fermented.

On tap at the Oluthoune Kaisla, Helsinki. Shiny jet black with a flat caramel head; a dense oily aroma; clean and cutting when tasted, slightly acidic, then aromatic coffee, then a fruit sweetness, then a delicately spicy aftertaste; leaving a definite "must have more" feeling in the mouth. Deceptively drinkable, little sign of the alcohol until a warm feeling kicks in as you get to the bottom of the glass.

An exceptional beer, and a good choice for my 400th rating. [5/4/8/4/18]=3.9

11.2 fl oz bottle in the Birger, Hämeenlinna. Served in a very elegant 20cl glass, intense chocolate malt aroma; black body with a milk chocolate head; austere chocolate malt flavours to start, but developing a thick oily sweetness; leading to a well structured bitter sweet finish.

From mcbackus via trade. Thank you again Matt! This beer poured with a viscosity that I didn’t expect. Glugged out of the bottle into my pint glass looking every bit the part of a IS. A tan and dark brown head sat atop the beer for a moment before giving way. No real lacing. The aroma was chocolate, roasted malt and some caramelized sugar. The flavor was baking chocolate, roasted malt and a bit of cherry. Medium bodied mouthfeel with a finish that lingered but not in an unpleasant way. I think this beer was almost as good as the DR. Not as complex in terms of aroma, but close.