Carnegie Porter 5,5% - Carlsberg Sverige AB

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1997 argang vintage bottle, 8+oz. Found it at Falling Rock in Denver.
Pours a black, slick body with reddish tints around the edge. 1 finger tan head. Very clean; no residue or lacing along the glass.
Smells of sweet chocolate, roasted coffee, molasses, caramel and bbq sauce. Nothing overpowering, alcohol is vacant.
Taste; very nice blend of the chocolate and coffee. Sweetness of raisin and black plum. Molasses turns into a burnt caramel flavor.
Just when I think it's gonna pack an overwhelming punch, it disappears nicely. Good drinking brew, wish it were a bigger bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2007 20:17:52 | More by Mebuzzard

flagmantho

Washington

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 500mL bottle into a pint glass. This bottle is årgång 2004, so it's got some good age on it.

Appearance: rich, deep amber brown with one thick finger of creamy tan head. Body allows a hint of red light through.

Smell: very nice aroma which is lightly fruity with a roasty and chocolatey backdrop. Somewhat sweet and quite enjoyable.

Taste: like the aroma, there's a nice fruitiness here with a bit of roastiness and chocolate there for character. The flavor is not super strong; that is basically the only drawback.

Mouthfeel: body is on the lighter side of medium, but there's a well-integrated carbonation which yields a silky creaminess. Quite nice.

Drinkability: this beer is more than the sum of its parts. I like Baltic porters in general, and Carnegie is kind enough to clock in at a low enough ABV to basically be a session beer. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 04:40:07 | More by flagmantho

Gmann

New York

3.18/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown color with a frothy khaki colored head that settled into a solid ring.

The aroma is of a lightly bready malt, milky and grainy. Some sterile roast notes and an overall tin like scent.

The malt is mostly grainy with a slight roast edge. Subtle metallic notes with an interesting lemon note. Some light caramel and toffee sweetness. Overall, a bit thin for a baltic porter.

The feel is light, though not watery, with some prickly carbonation. Grainy sweet on the palate with not much of a bitter offset. Drinks easy I guess.

Not super impressed with this beer. Basically a notch or two above a dark Euro lager. Definitely not a baltic porter in my eyes.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 03:51:14 | More by Gmann

mynie

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Quite the pour. Ruby hues, not opaque, but pretty close, and with one hell of a brown, rocky, retentive head. The kind of huge bubbles that make you slow down pouring about half the way through because you're not expecting them, and you know they're gonna stick around a while.

Smells like very intense roasted malt. Very bitter with nodes of coffee grounds. Maybe a little old--scents of fruit come through, as well. Nice, though.

Big bitter malt, big black coffee. Burst of alcohol (strange from a 5.5%!) in the middle, more bitter malts and the end, big fruit sweetness lingering. Tastes a tiny bit stale, but the back sez, I'm not kidding, "Best Before May 2014." That kind of hubris can cost you, sonny.

Good beer. Probably even better fresh. If only they included a realistic dating system...

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2006 05:42:27 | More by mynie

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

The beer poured into the glass translucent clear and yet pitch black with a frothy yet low tan head which coated the glass from top to bottom.

The aroma was strong chocolate with dark caramel and a licorice note thrown in for good measure. The aroma had some distinct roastiness.

The flavor was chocolate, but dry dark chocolate. Caramel was present, but it wasn't a sweet and malty contribution. The flavor was roasty and the bittering from the roasty grains was harsh. That bitter harshness was not well done at all.

The finish was dry with lasting bitter expresso and chocolate flavors that lasted just a bit too long into the aftertaste. The body was medium and well achieved. The bittering from the roasted grains really detracted from the enjoyment of this beer. The flavors and finish were harsh and not the stuff of world class beer.

16.9 ounce bottle. Best before April 2010 (April 2010...5 years and I certainly did not purchase this yesterday! Perhaps if I had it would have been better, or perhaps I should have waited till 2010!)

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2005 22:54:50 | More by GCBrewingCo

lordofthewiens

Maine

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you to Chris at Ebenezer's Pub for getting me to try this. I probably never would have had this without his recommendation. It was a nice dark black with a thick coffee-colored head. A coffee, chocolate aroma. The taste only enhanced what I smelled, and this had to have been the smoothest porter I've ever tried. Indescribable, all those great dark tastes running around in my mouth. You gotta try this beer!

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2006 20:58:20 | More by lordofthewiens

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I never think about Swedish beer, but I suppose if I did, I wouldn't think "porter". Let's see...

Poured a big head, though it didn't stay around, reducing to a thin layer and a more substantial tan crown. The black color is a beautiful thing, and bubbles show ample carbonation within the abyss.

Big juicy aroma, bursting with chocolate, coffee, and dark fruits, with just a little smoke giving a nice edge.

Flavor brings on some big, upfront flavors: coffee, caramel, chocolate, dates, cola, and a balancing citric sweetness in the finish. Slightly mineral aftertaste, and an earthy overall bitterness that makes sure this doesn't become too overbearing one way or another.

Mouthfeel is mildly sticky, giving some character to the medium body. Stickiness lets a variety of flavors ride out on the tongue, I still taste smoke, toffee and chocolate long after I've put the glass down.

This was immensely enjoyable. I look forward to hunting it down again. [I'm assuming "Argang 2004" on the bottle means it was brewed in 2004. Best Before date is May 2014]

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2007 21:06:01 | More by Metalmonk

Suds

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This is simply an wonderful beer. Thick, velvety, chewy and portraying a wide range of roast malt flavors.
Color is solid black. Not really an impressive head, but what there is does dissolve into whispy, lace-producing clumps.
The aroma really doesn't match up with the extraordinary taste. Slight smoky, burnt/roast grain aroma, but it's not an in-your-face smell. The flavors do, however, come on strong with the first sip.
Full, impressive mouthfeel.
There's a background of a nice-hop bitterness that doesn't quite match the sweet malt, but the do play off one another nicely.
The bottom line is that this is one very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2003 12:20:38 | More by Suds

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a 1997 bottle from Archer's Ale House in Bellingham. The beer was black as black with minimal head. The nose was winy and old fruity. The taste was aged and vinous with the burnt malts in the background. I felt that this bottle was maybe too old as the midbody seemed slightly hollow. I know that this beer can be cellared eventhough it is only 5.5% but I feel the low abv may have let some of the bigger flavours dissipate. I enjoyed this beer but wanted a bigger set of flavours.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2005 14:54:32 | More by canucklehead

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a nearly opaque black color. The head is two inches in height, and recedes very slowly into a one inch cap of lacing. This is a very sexy looking beer. The aroma roasted malt, cream, and a lot of black licorice. The taste is mostly of black licorice, with hints of cream and black malt. There is a firm roasted malt bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, and a smooth texture. Overall, this is a very good beer that I will definitely drink again.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 03:42:58 | More by KarlHungus

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Tucker's Maltings. Drank in a caravan.

Pours a deep mahogany with a finger of tan head that soon dissipates to a thin and patchy film. Only a few spots of lace are left behind. The nose has an extremely enticing mix of chocolate, roasted malt and very strong and sweet dark fruit. Once the beer is tasted it reveals a large treacle character, which is more than likely the result if waves of raisin, chocolate and brown sugar melding together. This is accompanied by a light coffee roast and moderate bitterness. Smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel with a hint of alcohol in the tail. This beer drinks bigger than it is, which is a great feat for a lower ABV Baltic porter, and probably makes it one of the few that could be sessioned.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2009 19:15:11 | More by bobsy

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

D. Carnegie & Co. Argang 2001

My first Swedish beer!

appearance- Dark red/ black with a nice creamy tan head.

smell- Coffee!

taste- smooth coffee and a light chocolate flavor.

mouthfeel- a hint of alcohol and a slight bitterness.

overall- a nice porter that goes down well. Simple review- beer wasn't too complex.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2004 19:09:24 | More by NJpadreFan

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1997 vintage.

Pours a deep brown to black color with no head over top. Not even a puff when the cap was popped. The nose is light fig, and soy sauce. A very nice combination. I'd like a little more force in there, but I can live with it. The flavor is nice. Mellowed chocolate covered fig, touched with a soy, but not biting, flavor. Almost a light smokeyness in there as well. No hint of oxidation. Incredibly tasty. The feel is a light moderate, with no carbonation. Overall, an incredibly drinkable brew. Easily a session beer for me. I'm sad this is the only one I have.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2005 00:21:08 | More by kmpitz2

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from 2010 sampled 9/30/2011
Pours the darkest of brown with faint ruby highlights when held to light. A good sized creamy off white head dissipates rather quickly, but leaves moderate lace in its wake. Smells of caramelized sugar and dark pitted fruit mostly but has hints of coffee and chocolate on the outer fringes. This one smells like a fine dopplebock honestly. Taste is moderately fruity with hints of chocolate and ash. Deep burnt sugars mix with dark fruit and a little bit of coffee. Medium body with a light level of carbonation and a creamy smooth mouthfeel. This is a very tasty beer. It really straddles the line between porter and dopplebock for me though. Maybe one day I can try a fresher example.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 06:02:05 | More by johnnnniee

dsa7783

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Single, 1 Pint, .9 fl oz bottle copped from Livingston for $4.99...
Pours a deep, dark, chocolate-brown color with a modest head that soon receded and left a copious amount of lacing around the head of the glass...
Thick, rich, creamy, malt aroma with obvious cocoa powder and chocolate nuances...
Taste was creamy and heavy on the malts, with a noticeable presence of dehydrated malts, dark latte, mocha, and bittersweet chocolate nuances...
Creamy, thick mouthfeel with a slightly bittersweet finish...
Certainly not the sweetest or best Baltic Porter I've sampled, but a solid serving nonetheless...
Easily drinkable, without any cloying factors and a good level of drinkability due to the modest 5.5% ABV...
Worth a try...

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2008 00:41:19 | More by dsa7783

cjgator3

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

2004 vintage.

Pours a dark black color with a small fizzy head that quickly dissapears. The nose features molasses, chocolate, roasted coffee, and caramel. The taste features much of the same flavors as present in the nose. Overall, this is an extremely well balanced and highly drinkable porter that stands out as one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2007 03:18:01 | More by cjgator3

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 16.9 oz bottle, with a simple label almost all written in Swedish - årgång 2004. Not my first Swedish beer ever (thanks to a 1999 trip to Stockholm/Västerås for my brother's wedding, where plenty of Pripps Blå was consumed), but my first in a long time. Label reads: "Carnegie Porter was brewed for the first time in 1836 and tastes the same today as it did then."

A: Deep, dark brown with amber at the edges. Hardly any head; what there is appears stark white, surrounding the glass with a small ring and capping it with a star-shaped film. A little sticking lace, in thin bands.

S: Sweet & malty, to be expected of a Baltic Porter. Toasted grain and mild fruit. Pleasant, though a little subtle.

T: Malty sweetness with lots of spice and caramel, but with more bittering, grain huskiness, a little smoke. Slightly medicinal, citrus-y finish. Cocoa and darker chocolate in the finish. Dark roasted and some lactic sourness in the finish. Very tasty and nicely balanced.

M: Actively carbonated mouthfeel on a medium body. Grainy/sweet finish with some lingering spice. Infinitely smooth, lightly creamy, nice mouthfeel overall.

D: Very easy to drink, flavors aren't conducive to lots of drinking but good for a bottle. Worth a try, a good Baltic Porter.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2007 03:53:16 | More by msubulldog25

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to Masterski for providing this in a recent trade. Alex is a good man.

Very creamy 2+ finger of beige head sits atop this beer. It slowly collapses but takes it's time and shows excellent retention. The beer is almost as black as an Imperial Stout. Help to a bright light you get some slight light coming through. Nice sheets of lacing.

Aroma is malty, caramel and a whiff of alcohol which is strange since it's only 5.5%.

Roasted malt and chocolate notes dominate here. A slight molasses flavor as well. Somewhat musty as well. Perhaps a little licorice here.

Fairly thick bodied and dry on your tongue. A slight dry or powder like feeling on your tongue. A little abv heat which again is strange at 5.5%.

The end of the flavor is slightly abrupt which cuts down on the drinkability for me. It's good and you can't say it's watery, but still the flavor ends quickly.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 20:30:28 | More by Reagan1984

rarbring

Sweden

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This bottle is from 2009.

A very dark brown beer, almost black. The head is tan and melts down leaving quite some lace.

The smell is like stepping into a storage room full of dried plums, dates, figs and raisins. And somebody poured a cask of sherry over them and smashed the cask leaving some woody aromas as well.

The beer is rather light to drink, the taste is vinous and sweet with dried fruits. The hops are noticeable - probably due to being quite young. Hints of chocolate and coffee.

A creamy nice mouth-feel, a medium light carbonation.

A beer to drink quietly after dinner.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 17:48:41 | More by rarbring

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

morimech

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Stark-Porter 2006 Vintage with a best by date of January 2016.

Very dark brown that appears black in the glass. One inch of head forms but quickly settles to a thin cap. Moderate amount of spotty lacing is left on the glass.

Has that European lager aroma going on. As the beer opens up there comes some added complexity. Subtle hints of chocolate, dark malt, coffee, and the slightest touch of cherries.

The taste is a little more impressive. Slightly bitter chocolate, a little roasted malt, and a faint fruitiness melds nicely into a good flavor. There is also some earthiness. Not as bigged flavored as American brewers intrepertation of the style but more of a traditional beer. I am also surprised by the decade long aging ability. I cannot see aging helping this beer at all.

The body is not very large. In fact it feels a bit watery. Considering the low ABV, I am not that surprised. Just enough carbonation to give some life to the beer.

As I worked my way through the bottle, I came to appreciate the beer more. Not my favorite Baltic Porter but nice considering its historic significance.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 18:28:08 | More by morimech

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.53/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1998: A good porter, but perhaps a little sweet or something, still i can't believe Pripps brew this, that brewery really sucks.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2002 20:32:32 | More by rastaman

clayrock81

Virginia

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a blackish body w/ good head and minimal lace ring w/ a slightly dry roasted, coffeesue malt aroma, even bready, as well as little sticky sweetness. More of the same w/ the beer as it is lighter bodied, minimal carbonation so it passes smooth and easy, almost creamy, w/ sweet caramel, cocoa and a touch of vanilla (maybe) along with a little dry malt taste (roasted or coffee, or something like bread/dough/yeast). Simplistic and not overwhelming but well-crafted and a great sipper to have after a meal.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 17:44:05 | More by clayrock81

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from 2/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a very dark brown with red tint at the edges with a light tan head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of toasted malt and light chocolate. Tasted kind of understated on opening, with dark roasted malt and dark fruit. On warming a bit, the cherry, chocolate, vanilla and molasses started coming out. Great flavoe. Medium bodied with some creaminess. A quite nice low ABV porter. I bought this on a whim without great expectations and was very pleasantly surprised, will buy again.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 20:12:37 | More by LiquidAmber

bditty187

Nebraska

3.95/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear, dark brown in hue with a mix of ruby and tan highlights; beige head, at the apex the foam was over two fingers tall. Head retention was impressive; while the foam had a pocked soda look the bubbles did hang together very well. A tight cap lasted the entire consumption. Lacing started before I took a sip but, overall, it wasn’t very widespread. I can’t complain about the appearance, so I won’t. This is an attractive beer.

The nose has lots of toffee and caramel aromas as well as a faint but noticeable chocolate smell. Hints of molasses, figs, and raisins… no alcohol notes which should be expected considering it clocks in at sub 6% ABV. Clean aromas, no ale fruitiness. Lager yeast maybe? Not the most complex Baltic Porter I’ve smelled but it fits the mold, IMO. Moderate potency; I’ll call the aromas inviting, if not a tad straightforward.

The palate has a wonderful charred taste along with black coffee notes. Dry… more roasted then the nose indicated. There are suggestions of figs and raisins but these flavors are much in the background. Chocolate finds a home in the middle, somewhere after the char and coffee but before the dark fruits. Right before the finish, at the swallow, there is a brief hint of vanilla. Quick, dry, roasted aftertaste. I really like it. Compact flavor profile with enough complexity to keep me interested. Overall, it is tasty.

IMO, the mouthfeel is a tad thin and watery; about medium in body… maybe this is fitting for the size of this beer. Even so, I want more heft. Low but natural carbonation; on the whole the mouthfeel is okay. While I have complaints, this aspect of the beer doesn’t ruin the overall experience.

A session Baltic Porter? I think so. Should there be such a thing? Carnegie is not better than Gonzo or Ockocim but I like it all the same. Some crackers and cheddar cheese would rock with it. Maybe even a black bean burrito or a burger. I purchased a couple bottles in Council Bluffs, IA for $3.29. It was worth it.


“årgång 2006”

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2007 15:18:26 | More by bditty187