Les Trois Mousquetaires G.C. Porter Baltique

Brewed by Les Trois Mousquetaires
Style: Baltic Porter
Brossard, Canada

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Hot damn. Draft at Churchkey in DC. Pours dark brown without much of any head. Nose of wood, mild smoke, some fruit and light cherry notes, and some cinnamon. Mild shag tobacco. Cocoa. Taste starts off sweet but ends with a nice bitterness. I repeat: hot damn.

75cl bottle at UDRBM, cuvée 2011. Black colour, brown head. Aroma is sweet, chocolate, molasses, pipe tobacco. Flavour is rather sweet, chocolate, light fruity, hard roasted malts, it’s very sweet but also very very tasty. Medium to full-bodied. Nice.

Dark brown, beige head. Rich smooth aroma, sticky dark fruits, dried figs, milk chocolate. Super nice. Smooth yet lively well made body. Starts with sticky fruit sweetness, then a dry plucky bitterness. Warming and tasteful. (UDRBM)

Bottle at UDRBM. Black pour, huge tan head. Aroma of roasty malts, sweet caramel, chocolate, dark fruits and a hint of alcohol. Flavor is very sweet chocolate, caramel, some spices, a hint of port and some ash. Very nice brew, although on the sweet side. Well drinkable.

Bottle @ tasting. Aroma is silty liquorice, roasty malt and faint smoke. Flavour is sweet liquorice, roasty malt, silty smoky liquorice.

A solid pour into my Bruery tulip produces a dense, three-finger thick, nicely browned, dark tan colored head; it leaves some nice layered lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a dark, black color that shows an opaque black hue that shows a hint of a deep red glow when held up directly to the light. The beer smells quite smoky, followed by a warming, spicy alcohol note, a rounded roasted character, some dark chocolate character, a touch of chalky roast character, and even a burnt, smoky fruit character that almost leans towards cherry.

Lightly sweet up front, the beer has a lightness to it up front, but quickly gets more chewy and rich through to the finish. The smokiness is quite a bit reduced in the flavor compared to it being the dominant note in the nose. Instead rich, dark chocolate, smooth roasted malt, molasses sweetened coffee, and roasted caramel notes are balanced by a soft smokiness that adds a savory roundness to the flavor. The carbonation is fairly light, but still provides a prickly texture to the finish. The sweetness accentuates a roasted, smoky cherry flavor in this beer. As the beer warms up it gets a touch more sweet. The smokiness has a touch of a sharp edge to it; a hint of burnt plastic, and a slight harshness that is characteristic of Briess Cherrywood smoked malt, though it is low enough that it doesn’t ruin the beer.

Tasty and lighter bodied than I would have expected in a beer of this strength. This is the first use of cherrywood smoked malt that wasn’t so harsh that it didn’t just ruin the beer; I would still prefer a different type of woodsmoked malt, but this one was done well and is quite nice in the end.

Pours dark with minimal head. Aroma roasted coffee, malt, chocolate. Taste follows suit with aroma with a touch of smokiness. Medium body, light biterness, nice porter

Bottle shared by a friend. Darkest brown pour with a huge tan head. Aroma of malt, tart cherry, smoke and green olives. Malty flavor with tart cherry, chocolate, smoke and tobacco before a roasty finish. Flavor was decent, but I couldn’t get around the nose.

750ml bottle. Dark brown motor oil, with some ruby around the edges, largish head, good lacing. Big chocolatey smell. Taste is chocolate syrup, almost a chocolate wine. Alcohol is present, but not overpowering or out of place. Body is quite sticky and thick. Overall, definitely a sipping beer and doling it out on those huge bottles is a little cruel, but very enjoyable. Pleasant and warming.

Appearance: near black, with dark brown edges and a thick, creamy dark beige head and minimal lacing. Aroma: chocolate, coffee, condensed milk, bourbon, vanilla, cherries, and a bit of campfire. Taste: chocolatey but not overly sweet, with additional notes of coffee, licorice, malted milk balls, cherries, wood, and smoke. Finish: semisweet, with a bit of a lactic tang. Notes: A bit like chocolate cherry pie. The alcohol was extremely well-hidden. I didn’t love it, but I did like it. Bottle from the Rare Beer Club.