Koff Porter

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

(Fresh - Or at least as fresh as I can get it in the U.S.) Pour was black with a thin tan head. Aroma was dark chocolate and coffee. Flavor matched the aroma with a delicious bitter dark chocolate. Tastes just as good at cooler temps as at warmer room temps. A delicious example of a baltic porter.8/4/8/5/18

Aged almost 9 years. 1998 bottle consumed 2/18/2007. Poured into the big brandy snifter it is oily and smooth with only faint wisps of dark tan cream. The aroma is incredibly rich and smooth. Chocolate blends with black liquorish and dark fruit with some looming alcohol. The flavor is almost as wonderful. Very well blended chocolate, liquorish, plums, raisins, and warming alcohol. The body is oily and smooth, but a bit thinner than I remember from a fresh bottle. Slightly sticky on the lips. Not only did this beer make it almost nine years with only 7% alcohol, but it flourished and matured. This is why I think aged beer can be ever so much more exciting than fresh.

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

Pours a pitch black with a dark tan head. Nose is a sweet sugary malt with extremely faint roasted bean (coffee and cocoa) qualities to it. Flavor is very unique. Smooth and tough. On the very tail end I get a strong almost tarred earth aftertaste that lingers in my mouth. But before that comes I get a strong silky smooth lightly roasted porter. Feel is thick and with good bubble. It has only been a few minutes and I am halfway through it. Extremely drinkable. An absolutely beautiful brew.

<<RE-RATE 9/15/07>> 500 ml bottle at Waldo Pizza. Appearance same as previous. Aroma and taste contained a licorice / soy sweetness that I did not previously experience. Still quite enjoyable, not the revelation of the previous experience. 9,5,8,4,17 (4.3) I will use this rating

<<ORIGINAL RATING 3/14/2007>> Bottle purchased at Oak Tree in New Jersy. Pour is jet black, with a decent sized settling deep khaki head. Aroma is quite present, malt, roast and just a touch of fruit sweetness (banana, maybe?). Very much a porter taste, though the same sweetness is again present. Roasted malt is the main flavor, with a nice lasting bitterness. The body is not as big as I would have expected, but that actually made this more drinkable for me. Great recommendation from the Oak Tree guys! (9,5,8,4,18 - 4.4)

33 cl, bb L70465N. Opaque black with a huge sugary head. Cocoa, caramel and coffee aroma. Tastes of dry cocoa, charred wood, lightly sweetened coffee, and some peppery herb. Medium-bodied, chalky, and has some tongue-tingle.

Absolutely fantastic porter - best I have ever had. Great mingling of coffee and chocolate notes along with a few darker fruits. Will enjoy again and again.

Bottle. Pours soild black with a large, lasting, tan head. Aroma of chocolate, roasted malts, plums an dates. Soft carbonation. One of my absolute favorites!

Got a bottle at Spuyten Duyvil. Pours black with a tan head. Aroma of dark malts and hops. The flavor has tons of dark malts and bitter hops, but not too bitter. I didn’t think it was as creamy as other people have said... it has a certain dryness in the finish that left me just wanting more. A really great beer.