Carnegie Porter 5,5% - Carlsberg Sverige AB

shippos

New York

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

2001 vintage

poured with a dark brown-black color with some brown ruby highlights in the bottom of the glass and a cream tan pillowy head.
complex aromas but I can pick out sweet milk with a earthy peated character and some chocolate. very smooth and rich mouthfeel when tasted cold but thins up a bit when it warms up. very balanced in it's flavors, it has a black malty bitterness that in the aftertaste. a very well brewed easily drinkable example.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2004 19:11:05 | More by shippos

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

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

2000 edition.

Porters have made a strong comback in my book, following the disappointment that was the Polygamy Porter that kept me away for so long. This one was stellar.

Appearance: Poured a near pitch-black in color. Hold it up to the light and nothing passes through it (cue the Dark Knight from "MP and the Quest for the Holy Grail: "None shall pass!"). Creamy smooth and thick layer of toffee-colored head stands upon the body of the beer. There's a fair amount of spotty lace that sticks to the glass as I consumed this.

Smell: In a word...lovely. Chocolate, caramel latte' from Starbucks, raisins.

Taste: Very toffee-like. Heath bar flavor with some smoky flavor showing up at the end. Some dark fruit notes and fresh espresso coffee as well. Milk-chocolate flavor brings a close to this flavorful porter.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability: Nearly top-notch. Low levels of carbonation really enhances the "full" mouthfeel that this has. Creamy smooth. Highly quaffable.

Notes: Sadly, this is no longer brewed and I raise my empty pint glass to AKSmokedPorter for supplying me with this gem. I would love to get me mitts on a few more of these. Well-done.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2004 17:02:58 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

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

PorterLambic

Florida

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

A beautiful pitch black brew with a 1 1/2" tan head that drops to 1/2" smoothly. Some scattered, coarse lace.
Smell was of roasted malt, oak, coffee with a hint of toastiness to it.
Taste was wonderfully complex, with roasted malt and a coffee tinged oakiness, a bit of dark chocolate & a hint of vanilla (?) this was just perfectly balanced.
Mouthfeel was very nice, creamy, full-bodied and smooth with just the right amount of carbonation.
This brew is supremely drinkable, in fact, the only thing I can possibly knock it on: I would have liked a little smoky flovor to it. I would have gone almost all 5's then. A tremendous beer.
For the record, mine was a 2001 on the label (the picture on the site shows 1997) and I noticed at the bottom of the back label was printed "Best before April 2010. Yes, 2010. A three year old beer with 7 more to go. I'll be looking for more of this.

April, 2007

I found more! A 2004 vintage. The appearance score drops slightly due to minimal head retention but the taste and smell increase due to finding the previously sought smoke character which was all over the nose, mouth and aftertaste that just lingered forever (with vanilla) at the back of the throat. Buy it, drink it, want more.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2004 23:54:01 | More by PorterLambic

rkhaze

California

4.8/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured a really dark chestnut color. Small, quickly disappating tan head.
Deep classic aromas of sweet roasted malt, coffee and dark chocolate.
Big complex rich flavors of earthy, heavily roasted malt, coffee, bittersweet chocolate and smidges of cola and licorice. It had a tangy sweetness and finished mildly acidic with a pleasant hop bitterness and a whisper of tobacco. Good stuff! Let this one warm up a bit.
Medium bodied with a full, creamy and chewy mouthfeel. Good amount of carbonation.
Excellent beer and supreme drinkability!

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2004 00:11:14 | More by rkhaze

Naerhu

Japan

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

Deep opaque balck body with a tight rich tan head.

Roasted malt dominates the aroma with vanilla coming in strong. I am get fruit, but not anything more specific.

Relatively mild, with medium body. Chocolate covered espresso beans. Charcoal and kampoyaku (chinese traditional medicine). The berry that was on the nose is no longer apparent.

This is slick and the super fine bubbles make this a masterpiece.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2004 05:38:11 | More by Naerhu

beergeek279

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

2001 vintage, served in a 500 mL bottle, into a pint glass. The color is nearly black, with a bubbly beige head. The smell is a chocolatey roastiness. The taste is very chocolate sweet, with just the slightest bit of hops to it. Mouthfeel seems a bit thin. As for drinkability, could have real sessionability and no offputting flavors, so could have quite a few of these.

Well, I don't know if I'd consider this a Baltic porter, but it is solid. Though the mouthfeel is a tad thin, the flavor is quite good, with a rich chocolate to it. Quite good, and I'd love to try some of the other vintages.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2004 05:34:50 | More by beergeek279

mschofield

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown/black, well carbonated with a one finger dark tan head that quickly dissipated.
Strong coffee aroma and taste, if it was a blind taste I'd pick it as a Coffee stout. Sweet malt pervades, with notes of raisin, chocolate, plum. Earty hop. Very similar in taste and aroma, more roasted quality in the taste.
Body was too thin, it should have been fuller for a Baltic Porter.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2004 16:32:02 | More by mschofield

vladtheimpaler

New Jersey

4.8/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had a perfectly treated and conditioned bottle. This was yummy. The conditioning of this beer is outstanding. Smooth Chocolate/Coffee malt flavor. Hops have been reduced to the background (through conditioning). Aroma has that beautiful, fruity, toffee, oxidized note that makes every sip enjoyable. This beer stands out and is worth seeking. I must warn everyone about mistreated bottles, though...

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2004 20:12:17 | More by vladtheimpaler

Wildman

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured a deep amber, almost black color and formed a nice light tan bubbly head that left trace lace as it subsided. An aroma of malt, coffee, and caramel. A flavor of malt, coffee and a touch of chocolate. The body was fairly light for the style and the finish was slightly bitter. Not a bad porter for the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2004 03:56:36 | More by Wildman

CRJMellor

Arkansas

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

Pours black with red highlights, thin light tan head with very minor lace.
Aroma of chocolate, brown sugar, roasted malt, some butterscotch, peat and a wheat bread note.
Flavor of heavy chocolate, some smoky roasted malt and a yeasty quality and very minor herbal bitterness.
Mouthfeel is semi-sweet moving to a very sweet and somewhat vinous middle that is cut short by a relatively tasteless bitterness.
Drinkability is very high. Probably defines the style as well as any beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2004 03:08:12 | More by CRJMellor

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

jahred

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tried this at the Feb. Goose Island "Beer Academy."

Pours a dark black color with a medium white head. There's a slight, but very pleasant and medicinal coffee malt scent.

The taste, though, is quite strong and forward. A nice roasted malt taste up fromt, followed by thick, rich and creamy coffee flavors. The word tasty comes to mind. Perhaps the best description is that this is a coffee milk shake with caramel swirled in (and 5.5% ABV!)

As pointed out at the event, the beer is only 5.5% abv, but has a "best before" date of April 2010. Can a beer such as this age well? For so long? Only one way to find out...

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2004 16:39:28 | More by jahred

merlin48

Kentucky

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

2001 vintage with "best before 2010" on label. Pours an opaque, almost pitch black with a tan head that quickly drops into patchy and collar lacing. Aroma of burnt coffee, smoke, licorice, and a hint of chocolate. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, creamy, and has a mild peppery bite. Taste is similar to the nose, with burnt coffee, smokiness, licorice, and spicy, dry, bittering hops. Very drinkable, and a nice Porter, but nothing outstanding at this stage. I was surprised by the "best before" date being a several years down the road. This one will probably be much better in a couple of years.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2004 00:12:03 | More by merlin48

RoyalT

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance – Very dark in color with a nice, tanned head that showed decent retention and left a little lacing.

Smell – This aroma is nice. There’s some good coffee and chocolate notes to go along with the classic roasted malts. I can also pick up small traces of cocoa, anise, molasses, and some kind of sugar (maybe pure cane).

Taste – The smaller notes from the nose came out bigger at the taste. The chocolate and anise were prominent, but the molasses all but disappeared. This is not a super-dark porter; it’s more of a lighter one in the classic sense.

Mouthfeel – This was medium-bodied. I thought the mouthfeel was the weak point of the porter. The flavors were kind of clumsy and could maybe benefit from cellaring.

Drinkability – This went great with my Stoned Bratwurst and sauerkraut.

Comments – I had the 2001 vintage. Even though it is going on three years old I would recommend cellaring this for another three. I’m not a big “cellaring” fan but I think the flavors here just need some more time to get to know each other.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2004 01:40:03 | More by RoyalT

aracauna

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The body is very dark reddish-brown with a head that starts to fizz but stops before dissipating, which it does, eventually. The aroma is light, mostly a bit of chocolate. The flavor is vinuous, a bit of raisin and chocolate followed by a faint bit of char.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2004 07:20:56 | More by aracauna

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

drewbage

California

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sampled from 16.9 fl oz brown bottle from the 2001 Vintage.

Beer is close to black, with enough transmittivity to allow ruby highlights. Head is down low and tan with a quickly disappiating head.

Aroma is dried cherries, raisins and the like and a caramel coffee tone to the finish.

The flavor starts with a good malt chew before being chased off by a blackstrap molasses and a spicy hop zing that lets the finish ride with a long coffee bite that lingers

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2004 06:05:15 | More by drewbage

francisweizen

Australia

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2001 vintage, best by April 2010. Cost me like $5 at my local store...way overpriced, I know. Anyway this was a nice strong porter. It poured a deep black colour with a tan/beige head of foam. The aromas were all deep roasted chocolate and caramel malts with some lovely citric hops in the background and on the finish. The taste was similar to the aromas with some lovely roasted malts and hops blending together for a nice chocolatey/caramely taste of wonder. The mouthfeel was creamy, thick, and almost "chewy" and the drinkability is damn good as well!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2004 18:25:03 | More by francisweizen

DESTRO

Nevada

4.7/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

whoa nelly. 16.9oz bottle, 2001 vintage. pours dark, pretty damn close to pitch black. lovely lace and lively carbonation. one whiff of this and its heaven, big sweet aromas of raisins and maple syrup, molasses and chocolates with some coffee undertones. nice roasted flavors kick things off without being overkill and then comes the sweet candies and raisins, a touch of vanilla and a bit smoke all coming courtesy of a slick smooth mouthfeel and you cant help but get stoked. also, the more it warms the more the alcohol kick becomes evident. almost too drinkable. "THE" porter as far as i am concerned. oh snaps!

paid $1.99 for a 16.9oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2003 23:13:07 | More by DESTRO

ManekiNeko

Virginia

4.4/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Argang 2001 served at cellar temp in a pint glass.

Appearance: Black with some lovely ruby highlights. Topped by a healthy tan head that settles down to a thin layer of bubbles at the surface. Nice splotches of lace are left as the glass is emptied.

Smell: Dark bitter coffee smell and dried fruit aromas (prunes, raisins, figs). Roasted malt provides the backdrop on which the other smells are hung.

Taste: Bittersweet coffee flavor with a nice roasted malt backing, almost smoky at times. The dried fruits show up in the taste as well. Nummy.

Mouthfeel: Hearty medium body, slightly creamy. Smooth.

Drinkability: Why can't the Swedish bikini team shill for this? Man, they had to stop making this stuff after I got hooked. And I snagged the last bottle in this area that I know of. Oh, cruel fate! *sniff* Anyways, enough ranting. This is a superb Baltic, I'd even hazard to say a benchmark for the style. Perfect for a crisp, late fall day like I just had.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2003 23:26:20 | More by ManekiNeko

Brent

Kentucky

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

2001 Vintage. Black with some ruby tinge. Of the Baltic porters I've had so far, this is both the lightest flavored and lowest abv. Some very mild oxidation flavor present in the first few sips, but after the beer warmed it faded, or I just got used to it. Sharply sweet candy-ish aroma, almost surprising when the beer does not turn out to be particularly sweet in flavor. Carmelized fig and prune flavors, but in moderation. Finishes with a bit a acidity that cleans up nicely and leaves a pleasant sour bitterness at the roof of the mouth. Not really a fireside sipper like other Baltics, but overall more drinkable than its bretheren.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2003 04:00:02 | More by Brent

mydeadguy

Massachusetts

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

2001 vintage.

Pours black with ruby hints, fluffy tan head dissipates quickly. Scent is roasted malts, sweet fruits, and coffee, sort of a raisin bread odor, light sweet alcohol. Taste is sweet with roasted malts finishes with balanced hop flavours, slightly bitter.
Mouth is lightly carbonated, but full, round and chewy. Fades fast on the palate, makes me want another. Drinkability is high, could I have another (or 3) hell yeah. This is one fine brew, really a great porter, I love this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2003 22:03:53 | More by mydeadguy

woemad

Washington

4.83/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this last night at the Viking. 2001 vintage. Poured an inky black, with a head somewhere between tan and mud-color. Rich odor, I got elements of chocolate, rich, roasted black coffee, dark fruits, and a beguiling smokiness. The taste was exquisite, silky smooth. Velvety chocolate and premium coffee, wrapped in a thin sheen of smoked malt. Truly a pleasure to drink. If this being axed, as I've heard other BAs say, I'm going to buy up as many of these as my resources will allow.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2003 21:02:36 | More by woemad

Mustard

District of Columbia

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

Presentation: 16.9oz. brown bottle; årgång 2001; "best before" warning -- in this case April 2010 -- printed on the back label's bottom left corner; purchased for $2.29 from the West LA Whole Foods on National and Barrington.

Appearance: Nearly black in hue; ever so faint ruby hints emerge if held directly to a light; fudgy, mocha-tinged head; a fair c-cup's worth of lace, but head retention is rather poor.

Aroma: Hugely of cherries and chocolate with a nice, roasty bitterness in there as well.

Taste: Decidedly like its nose; surly notes of bittersweet cocoa, dark fruit and cherry wrestle one another like a pack of greasy monkeys; gentle, roasty bitterness in the finish; slight hint of grain; medium bodied with a smooth, silky mouthfeel.

Notes: Amazing flavor profile ... and at 5.5% ABV; not quite as tasty as my beloved Okocim, but not dramatically far off either; stellar beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2003 05:23:14 | More by Mustard