Neuzeller Porter

Brewed by Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle
Style: Baltic Porter
Neuzelle, Germany

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

Bottle split with Tronraner. Pours an extra dark red-black with a thin head comprised of rather large bubbles. The aroma is sweet and creamy with loads of toffee, coffee, and minimal bacony notes. It’s soft in the mouth with low carbonation. The malts are sweet and creamy with hints of licorice,ashiness, apples, and raisins. The bitterness is very appropriate. It’s quite sweet for the style, but nowhere near cloying. I don’t think I’d pinpoint this as a porter of the Baltic variety or not if I were to drink it blindfolded.

Bottled at MacAle, Randers. It pours black, with a small, beige to tan head. Leaves nice lacings. Molasses, sugar and roasted notes in the aroma. The flavor is sugary, with molasses and some roasted malt. Thin to medium body and a nice co2-level. Reminds me more of a Danish Hvidtøl than a porter. (061005)

UPDATED: SEP 19, 2006 Bottle, off-license in sunny Berlin, Germany.
I decided to serve this one up at room temperature as it seemed right and also the fridge was full at our hostel. Choice was right. This poured a deepest, mirrored brown, almost black and opaque in the light. Head barely rose beyond a fingers width, lapsed back to a wafer and laced convincingly down the glass. Aroma was full and held in its midst the alcohol which was surprisingly evident. Deep, dark, chocolaty malts, molasses and burnt rubber, a little tree bark and just a hint of powdered smoke. Its sweet to the nose but balanced by that dark grittiness that plays also in the flavour. Palate is full, its not creamy or smooth but more frothy in mouthfeel and sweet, biscuity adding body. Aniseed, liquorice all-sorts, molasses, burnt malt and bitter/sweet chocolate build on the palate and play well at this temperature. Finish is as full as the palate and is warm with that alcohol. Long into the swallow it dwells, all malt and burnt grains with just a hint of residual sugars and smoke. This was a nice touch to the heat of the day, oddly. As the likes of Jamaican stouts being refreshing on that island this was wonderfully suited to the heat of this years summer in Europe. A lovely drop. (50cL, 30/04/07)

UPDATED: FEB 19, 2007 Bottled. Very dark brown coloured. Light brown fluffy head. Sweet and fruity aroma with light roasty notes. Flavour of chocolate, light roast, raisins and sugar. Quite full bodied. Has loads of chocolate and alcohol in the end. Quite uninteresting Baltic.
Earlier Rating: 10/20/2004 Total Score: 3.3 Bottled: Dark brown coloured. Nice light brown head. Malt and cocoa in the nose. Roast, liqourice, chocolate and malt in the flavour. Some sweets and fruitnotes. Has a alcahol bite in the end but not much else.

Black with a brown head. Aroma from chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Flavour is chocolatey and sweet with some notes of molasses and tar.

Not doing it for me. The pour was dark brown to black, some ruby / mahoganey edges and hues. Weak initial head, near to nil lacing. The aroma was raisins, vinous, light coffee aromas. Flavor was dark fruits, raisins in particular, chocolate and coffee, molasses, lots of burnt but unfermented sugars (in an ick sort of way), and some milk stout type character too. Not a good blend of flavors, although a lot going on. Mouthfeel was moderate with a light acidity. Blah.

500 ml bottle poured an opaque brownish black with a lingering brown head. Aromas of burnt molasses, dark fruit, bakers chocolate and espresso. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of coffee, milk chocolate, roasted malt, light plum and a hint of smoke with a smooth sweet finish.

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus. Pours dark with a brown head. Aroma of fruit, roast, and chocolate. Flavor is coffee, chocolate, fruit, sweet, and smooth. This is an excellent baltic porter.