Carnegie Porter 5,5% - Carlsberg Sverige AB

Mitchster

Michigan

4.85/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours out to a very dark brown with mahogany accents, near black. Forms a thin tan head with poor retention and sparse lacing despite a heavy handed pour. Carbonation is mild. Aroma is very nice, with suggestions of fruits, dates, prunes, chocolate, vanilla, coffee. Clean ferment. Mouthfeel is full and soft with a dense body and luxurious finish. Taste is wonderful...a capitulation of the aroma with the addition of tobacco, a suggestion of woody dryness towards the finish, and a brisk, clean twangy finish. There is a hint of metal towards the middle, but tends to disappear over time. There is a very nice roasted character with a hint of chalk in the mix. Alcohol is imperceptable, and there are absolutely no off-flavors. Bert Grant...eat your heart out. "Perfect Porter" my ass...

This is an amazing porter, besting many stouts. Very pleasantly surprised by this, and I would highly recommend it to my porter loving friends. The drinkability is amazing. I could easily put away 3 of these 17 oz bottles back without noticing. Complex, yet extremely satisfying without fatigue on the tastebuds. My last gulp was as good or better than the last. Wow.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2004 23:56:58 | More by Mitchster

Stunner97

New Jersey

4.85/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

2006 edition

Appearance-pitch dark black with very nice tan head, no carbonation to be seen what so ever, dark and ominous appearance great look

Smell- wow beautiful smell world class, roasted espresso, chocolate, roasted malts, just so appealing on the nose,

Taste- wow this is the epitome of complex, roasted malts, chocolate, hops on the finish, soft yet pleasant booze on the finish.very balance super complex and just such an amazing porter in terms flavor im blown away and such long lingering beautiful finish

Mouthfeel- smooth creamy and medium bodied, nice low carbonation and good feel

drinkability- just amazing, world class porter here, i got if for 99 cents cuz the place thought it was distressed and discontinued, but wow, cant believe that at 5.5 a beer can be this great 4 years later, amazing and probably best porter i have had privilege of having, if you see it get it you wont be sorry

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2010 00:25:11 | More by Stunner97

matjack85

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I never had a Sweedish beer before so I almost balked at picking this one up when I saw the $5.19 price tag for a single 16.9 oz bottle, plus the beer was dated 2001 and this was already Sept. of 2006, so I didn't know how well it had held up and wondered why no one was buying it.

It poured a dark brown color and left just a 1 finger creamy tan head that soon disappeared to just a tan ring on top producing just a minimal of lacing. Nothing exceptional about the pour or appearance.

The smell however was a different story. This beer had an incredibly good aroma. It was an intoxicating mix of roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate. It smelled absolutely delicious.

The taste was more of the same. It had a creamy mouthfeel due in part to the low carbonation and tasted like creamy coffee layered with chocolate and roasted malts. There was no bitterness to it at all. Many beers with coffee tastes have a bitter coffee flavor to them and some chocolate flavors are more like bittersweet dark chocolate than sweet chocoalte, but this beer is all mild roasted coffee and sweet milk chocolate, yet it is a pleasant subtle sweetness rather than sugary sweet and I absolutely loved it. Like drinking a cold chocolate flavored coffee.
There was a trace of alcohol in the aftertaste, but it wasn't anyhting that detracted from the overall experience.

At just 5.5% abv I could drink these all night, and when a beer is this good, you don't mind spending $5.19 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2006 23:49:15 | More by matjack85

berebrando

California

4.9/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

fantastic beer!!! I found this on the menu of cafe rouge in berkeley. served in a tall slender pint glass, poured from approx 22 oz bottle. the thick tan head of medium and small sized bubbles lasts long enough for the beer to reach optimal tasting temperature. once it warms, you can smell more of the chocolate malts. tastes like chocolate, coffee, burned, some spices and a slight boozy late favoring. I loved it... it was drinksble and tasted good in my mouth, as it was not quite a thick meal in a mug, nor too light, as little red says, it I'd just right, and fantastic at that.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2010 02:35:08 | More by berebrando

Ethanol4one

New York

4.9/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Very dark, with an average head, this beer sneaks up on you like base jumping Airborne Ranger delivering flowers that you forgot for your best girl as you walk up to her doorstep, with its mildly sweet, malty and perfectly balanced slight hopped aroma, and a just short of moderately thick mouth feel, like that of a stout. In fact, I'd bet a case that most people would identify it as a stout, if they were not told it's labeled a porter.

My first reaction right down to the last drop was that "this beer is perfect", so there's that. Although, the second one tasted more sweet to me, after pairings with some of the excellent olives Beer Table serves.

I had it at Beer Table, on tap in Brooklyn, where they really care about teh suds.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2013 18:50:52 | More by Ethanol4one

Gregfalone

California

4.93/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into an allagash goblet type glass. Bottle dated 2010. Have another to compare in a year.

Smooth, but high pour yields an inch and a half khaki head.
Beer is near opaque with deep ruby/amber light showing through when held up toward the lamp.

Smells of raisins, figs, and very faint malt and coffee... VERY faint. The smell is beautiful.

Taste is also fronted by raisin, then figs I get no coffee I the taste. Very nice mild tobacco sweetness. No alcohol taste. Very little bitterness. Smells and tastes perfect to me.

Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated for the thick wet consistency. This is one of the best beers I've ever drank. Definately in the top ten.

Overall- I love this beer. I will buy this over and over again. Next time I see it I'm gonna buy a few to drink and a couple to store. I have one Ike holding for a year, but I have a feeling two or three or more years will make this beer absolutely fanfuckintastic.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 08:16:26 | More by Gregfalone

Todd

Massachusetts

4.95/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Presentation: 8.82fl.oz. cute little brown bottle. "årgång 1997" states that it's their '97 vintage. "stark" is strong.

Appearance: Deep, dark brown/ruby red. Head pours weak at first with large bubbles, then it creates a 1/4" cream lace under the same. It dissipates to a patchy, creamy off-white lace. A gentle swirl will induce a more creamy head.

Smell: One of the best aromas that I have ever come across. Big malt aromas of dark fruits and sweet raw malts, touch of caramel malt, black liquorice, oak and vanilla. Esters and oxidation are noted. Very rich and complex nose.

Taste: Sweet malt profile of caramel (faint diacetyl/butter flavours), grape-like flavours, light molasses and chocolate. No real "roasted" type flavours, which makes it a very traditional Porter, however you can just pick up a faint smoked malt flavour. Body is medium to full, mouthfeel is a bit chewy and luscious. Towards the end you can taste some oxidation and cherry/oak notes, a by-product of its age. Finishes slighty dry and bready, with notes of grain husk and chocolate residuals.

Notes: This vintage has probably reached its peak, though I'd be interested in tasting it again in a few years. It's an amazing example of the style and ripe for the tasting. I implore everyone to try this magnificent Swedish beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2001 09:48:26 | More by Todd

Offa

California

4.98/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is an outstanding, complex, yet highly drinkable baltic porter. Despite being at the low abv end for the style, it does not lack character.

Almost black, it has a medium tan head very slowly shrinking to foamy ring & wisps, some lace.

Aroma is rich anisy prunes, dark sweet toast, dried dark fruits, chocolate.

Taste is wonderful toasted dark brown bread, singed prunes, anisy-woody elements, roastiness, wood. It has firm sweetness, light engaging bitterness. Finish is roasty and woody with dry cocoa. It is engaging and lively but the feel, though not oily, is full.

It is an outstanding balance between rich, full character, complexity, and easy drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 23:46:10 | More by Offa

craftbrewer

Tennessee

5/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Hands down the best porter I've ever had, Baltic or otherwise.

Brown/choclate and patent malt notes in the nose, some maltiness.
Flavor is a wonderfully complex mix of smooth chocolate and roasty flavors, with a hint of crystal/caramel. Body is smooth and mellow. Low bitterness gives a slightly sweet character. Finishes with a pleasant grainy dryness that lingers with a great complex toasty character.

I have tried over 500 commercial beers and this is my all time favorite

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2004 04:42:12 | More by craftbrewer

Brushkanna

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

WOW that’s a great beer. We had a Porter & Stout beer tasting over New Years Eve and of the 12 beers we tried this was hands down #1. Some of the beers we had were bitter, or had chocolate and coffee flavors, too much going on in some of them. Carnegie Porter had the straight-up porter style that I look for, full flavored, smooth with a short creamy head, World Class. This is the first beer I felt compelled to review.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 20:45:16 | More by Brushkanna