Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter

Brewed by Närke Kulturbryggeri
Style: Imperial Stout
Örebro, Sweden

Thanks to Fransios for this bottle. Shared with friends. Wonderful dark dark pour with decent brown head. Aromas were chocolate, anise, dark fruit. Flavors were all there. Some coffee and dark sugar flavors. So rich and thick. Very very good

For Rating #1500, I thought I’d open something truly special.. this was the best I could come up with!

2005 Vintage. Poured a medium-viscocity, lovely shade of black with idyllic initial cap of creamy deep brown head. The aroma had just a remarkable rich vinous and plum character that formed a perfect complement to the lightly-burnt dark chocolate and coffee malts at the core.. additional layers of complexity evolve throughout the drink, with vanilla, oak, and ever-so-slight bourbon in one wave, darker honey in another, and mild smoky caramel beyond that... just hard to fathom how so many wonderful components can be blended so intricately.

Semi-sweet honey accompanies the rich tapestry of dark chocolate and fresh coffee onto the palate.. a sweet wash of bourbon sugars and vanilla comes before the drink is halfway completed.. well-toasted caramel, smoky tobacco, and dark fruits blanket the back-end, then coffee and woodsy bitterness accent the warm and magnificent finish. This falls between medium and heavily-bodied, with just enough carbonation to keep it moving.. the flavors wash over the proper taste buds with surgical precision.. the long, warm, vibrant finish leaves great satisfaction, save for the realization that this remarkable exilir may never touch my lips again. Just brilliant!

2006 bottle thanks to Craig! Poured rich, inky black with a great initial cap of tan head. After a couple minutes to breathe, rich bourbon and vanilla really came to light.. layers of dark chocolate and roasty black patent malts.. mild smoke and some oak.. sweeter uptake at the back with mild alcohol. Deeply-roasted dark chocolate and molasses roll elegantly onto the palate with trails of vanilla and some smokiness.. bourbon fills in the back and nasel passages.. thickens up toward the finish with roasty chocolate and mild coffee bitterness.. long, sweeter finish with a perfect blend of barrel and stout. Thicker on the palate with light bitterness and great balance.. wonderfully complex. 10 4 9 4 18

A Mes rate: A Mes rate: 2006 bottle shared in the private gardens at Dorset Square in Baker Street with the legendarily generous HogTownHarry.
After lusting after this beer for some time all of a sudden I have had it 6 or 7 times. Possibly the beer I have drunk the most of without rating. (with the exception of possibly the Cantillon Blåbær.) I wanted to give it the respect it deserved and rate it with a totally fresh palate and that I did on a Thursday afternoon that was to be the beginning of a top 50 fest of beer rating thanks to Harry. Anyway... the beer.
It’s black. Totally black. No light penetration what-so-ever. A slight but solid brown head. Certainly the darkest coloured head I have seen in a long time. It’s more akin to chocolate ice cream.
Aroma is superbly roasty and full of amazing hops too. Peaty whiskey, outlandish malt, dark, dark chocolate and some lovely sugar and smoky hints. So incredibly nosable. I was appraoching half way through my glass while Harry was still sniffing at his!
Flavourwise it is not quite on the level of the aroma but still utterly stunning. Once again, incredible hops are balanced perfectly with the most unreal malt I have tasted. Beautiful rich dark chocolate ice cream, hints of tartness, spice, boozy peaty whiskey notes, utterly gorgeous lip smacking vanilla, viscous, oily and huge alcohol but oh so bloody good. Finish is of biblical proportions and just doesn’t stop. The light sting of alcohol reminds you that this is really serious stuff. Palate. Oh... my... f**king... GOD. Honestly it is unsurpassed by all I have tried previously. Totally unexpected carbonation that is so very good. Fizzes and zings around the mouth and prepares your palate so very well for the following rich velvet cream. Impossible to explain. It’s just stunning.
On the way to tipsy after half a bottle. Totally incredible beer. Having had this along side the regular Stormaktsporter I have to say that in all honesty it is hard to pick the winner between the two. Both are stunning but when geeking out and writing numbers the Kaggen just edges it. Oh, another thing, it has the best sediment of any beer ever, I’m convinced of that. I once drained every last drop of the sludge of three bottles into a glass and filled it halfway with water. It was STILL gorgeous. I kid you not. Right, that’s it. I’m off for a wank. I mean... erm... oh sod it.

Bottle (250ml). Shared by an astoundingly generous mes_and_sim - I can NOT thank you enough for this, Mes. We sat in Dorset Square, a private park that was the original grounds for Lord’s Cricket Grounds, near Baker Street tube station - in two small wine glasses. Off the top, this is THE best Impy Stout I’ve ever had - I could easily have gone 5.0. Thick, oily b lack pour, with a solid long-lasting dark brown head. Aroma - well, many things, almost overpowering, I sniffed it for at least 10 minutes before actually drinking any - perfect aromatherapy for a stoutie - deep, deep roast malt, molasses, tawny/crusty port, lush herbal hops, light lactose, coffee and chocolate, hints of lactose sourness, aged cabernet-franc wine .... one word: wow. The taste follows right on - vinous, oatmeal-y, the hops increase as you get down to the light sludge in the bottom of the bottle .... hell, this is thick, silky, oily, and surprisingly carbonated, smooth long bitter/malty port-like finish and aftertaste. Spectacular, not even a little bit overrated, I want more. My last note was "Holy fuck!" Buddies for life, Mes - I take back anything I ever said about ManU!!

Bottle (vintage ’06) shared with yngwie@The Rover, Göteborg. Pours an opaque near black body, just a shade away from pitch black. A beautiful creamy one-finger espresso head slowly shrinking to thin islands of foam. The aroma is vinous, powerful and complex, still extremely smooth and mellow . Lots of delicate sweetness from toasted dark malts. Cocoa, dark chocolate, mild coffee is dominating, followed by inviting scents of vanilla, honey, alcohol-soaked dried fruits and some wooden notes. Big fat body. Mouthfeel is oily and smooth as velvet. Very tasty, and as complex as it gets. Refined dark malts with a delightful sweetness in charge. Accompanied by oak and vanilla, coffee and chocolate, figs and raisins. A mild and gentle bitterness underneath. A barely noticable alcohol heath in the mouth. Some distant notes of rum, licorice, almonds and roast. The finish lingers forever. This beer is no hype, it’s divine! Does beer get better than this?

Secret Santa hooked this one up!!! The dilemma is this, I have convinced myself that this is indeed going to be the singular greatest beer I have yet to consume, causing me to ponder if this will actually live up to the billing. Upon pouring, my heart races a bit. A nearly completely light obliterating black, the only glimmer of color is the faintest brown, trying to escape around the edges. The aromas coming forth are an opus of complexity, the likes of which are rarely attained. Oak, vanilla, roasted malts, smoke, Valhrona Chocolate, the sugar crust of a creme brulee, Black Mission Figs, date syrup, plums all make their presence known. Waves of olfactory pleasure engulf my psyche, pulling in more inward into a contemplative state. I continue to inhale, wondering how this is possible. The flavor is other worldly. The roasted flavor is the first to makes its presence known. As I continue, a light brown caramel teases the senses, sublimely yielding to a playful balance of oak, vanilla and Italian meringue, though ever so slightly. The warming alcohol finishes what in essence is the brewer’s tour de force. Perhaps it is not simply brewing, but is rather alchemy, transforming simple ingredients into a master piece.

A very dark brew with a small haed. Lots of wood, chocolate and maltiness. A fullbodied, smooth baltic porter ! Retasted the 2005 vintage this week-end. Very close to a perfect brew !

2006 version shared by the European Beer Pipeline after4ever. Thanks man! So that being said, this has probably the best nose of anything I have ever smelt. A complex mix of dark malts, coffee, chocolate, fruit, vanilla, just all rounded out and mixed in together. Black beer with a milkshake looking brown head. Flavors of chocolate, dark fruit, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon barrel notes, ashy burnt malts, wood, piney earthy hops. Creamy velvety body, some warmth, low carbonation. Pretty much the best thing I have ever drank.