Carnegie Porter 5,5% - Carlsberg Sverige AB

budgood1

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2001 vintage.
pours out a nearly opaque, dark crimson colour. thin wispy head and slight wisps of lace. sweet sugary aroma...raisins and molasses come to mind...hints of chocolate and caramel. upon first taste, the first thing to hit me was the extremely silky smooth and velvety mouthfeel...leading to swirling flavours of semi-sweet chocolate and slightly bitter espresso. a magnificent combination. a sweet but dry finish; lingering bitterness on the tongue. supremely drinkable and down right delicious. one of the best beers i have ever had the pleasure of drinking. i will be getting a stash of these for sure! excellent tonic for a blustery and cold day in north dakota/northern minnesota.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2003 19:57:33 | More by budgood1

jcalabre

California

3.38/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I originally sampled this beer 6 April 2003. I am writing this beer from my notes.
This porter is brownish black, but remarkably light in body. I think that if I had another bottle, that I would lay it down for a couple of years. It's not in it's prime yet. I think it has a lot of potential for aging

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2003 00:33:16 | More by jcalabre

guinness33

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

found a few of the 1997 batch at my local store, so i picked one up and was not dissapointed. knew this one would be good from the get go. poured a deep brown, almost black. a nice head developed and moderately faded into a lasting lace. smells of sweetness dominated with hints of coffee and earthiness as well. while not as sweet as the smell, tastes included chocolate and caramel along with the afforementioned coffee. minimal carbonation here, which i enjoyed. a highly drinkable porter. perhaps even for those who may not enjoy heavier beers, as there's a bit of lightness to it as well. this was a very, very smooth brew that was enjoyable for every last sip. hopefully i can find a few more bottles. the swedes have themself a winner.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2003 17:30:40 | More by guinness33

granger10

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was a very sweet tasting porter. Lots of malts seem to be involved in the making of this. Chocolate malt is dominate. A creamy vanilla flavor ensues. After that I can't tell but there are more flavors, sweet ones. Roasted grains and roasted coffee hit me towards the finish. That balances the beer out and makes me want more. I really liked this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2003 15:54:29 | More by granger10

TripelJ

Florida

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

WOW! I hate to be trite, but WOW! This is an excellent porter! When I arrived at my usual spot this evening I was enticed into this by my publican. I was a bit skeptical at first, because he described it as 'tangy'. As I take my first sip, I am forced to agree, but not to the extreme I was expecting. This porter starts and ends on the sweet side and does have a very uniqe and very subtle sweet/sour characteristic--hence the 'tang'. I was befuddled to hear that this was only 5.5%, it has far more character than would be expected from such a low ABV beer (rates RIGHT up there with Stepin Razin, although a little sweeter and thus, different) I recommend letting this beer warm up a bit before imbibing, it is far more balanced when warmer.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2003 23:04:09 | More by TripelJ

TheDM

Indiana

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

Oh yeah! A small head with medium to fine light brown bubbles that quickly fades away. A deep brown color almost black body. It has a very heavy aroma full of hops. Low carbonation with heavy flavor and coffee taste typical of a good dark porter. I found myself taking several sips to make my taste calls. It has a typical dark flavor with no aftertaste. The head is gone now as I complete this report. A very nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2003 09:06:13 | More by TheDM

nomad

Kansas

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

2001 vintage - aged 2 years

This beer looked pretty much black, with a mocha-colored thin foam head and not much lace to speak of. Smell was smooth and complex, of malt, dark coffee, dark chocolate, but then some sweet corn-like smell that heavily malty beers sometimes exude.

Taste was thick, rich, and smooth, with some good sweet malt that was calm to the core. Very dark without ever being burdening on the palate, this beer had a very full and tasty roast flavor at the end. In fact, the toast and roast flavors continued to roll around my tongue, seeming to change but was actually just plain old captivating. Had a drying finish but just enough so.

Wish it wasn’t so expensive. Also hard to believe you can age it even more because it was not terribly exciting but definitely better than average. Very easy to drink and drink much of.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2003 08:35:06 | More by nomad

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Feloniousmonk was nice enough to break out his last bottle of the 2001 vintage, thanks - this was quite worth it.

Color is dark brown with deep amber highlights with a pinky-finger high head of bumpy, lumpy dark ivory crown, no real lace qualities. Smell is of dark fruits - banana, starfruit, and mixes well with some real quaility darkened caramel sweetness from malts with a notes in toffeeness. Taste is soooo smooth of caramel, lots of maltyness, some great small bitterness of dark citrusy hops noting on banana and orange, notes of toffee, maple syrup, and a even a touch of chocolate lightly making an appearance in there, quite a nice subtle mixing in this offering. Very full bodied with an enormous amount of exceptional creamyness that just slides down making a home in every area of your senses. Wow, this was one great little amount of fun, so sad to see the last sip go.
Thanks again FM!

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2003 20:17:35 | More by tavernjef

AudioGilz

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

It's very dark, close to opaque with ruby highlights. A large fluffy tan head forms and then reduces to a small ring pretty quickly. I can't get a strong aroma out of it, just some chocolate and coffee. But drinking this is miles better than smelling. Strong roasted coffee comes through first, some dark fruits, alcohol warmth, and then slightly bitter bakers chocolate through the finish and aftertaste. It's thick, creamy, rich, and robust. It's only 5.5% ABV but the alcohol adds a certain character that kind of tricks you into thinking it's stronger. A kick ass porter from Sweden to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2003 21:24:42 | More by AudioGilz

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

jlervine

Georgia

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

2001 cintage. Pours a thick dark brown with red-amber hues on the edge of the glass. Has the smell of roasted malts and molasses. This is probably the third bottle of this vintage that I've had in as many months, and I've loved it every time. The taste is a smooth roasted malt with a balanced hop finish fading to a coffee-like aftertaste. This beer is a sipper that I could drink morning, noon, and night.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2003 18:56:41 | More by jlervine

brakspear

Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

1998 Vintage...perhaps just a bit past its peak flavor.

This Baltic porter slides from its tiny 8.8 oz bottle with all kinds of dark ebony goodness...deep pitch in color --only the brightest light can penetrate...a very slight tan head forms but fades quickly like a morning fog.

The aroma is nothing short of inspired...deep rich roasted malt aromas rise to the fore with raisins and fruits far in the distance...wow.

The taste is complex, roasted malts, vinous peaks and valleys, and a slight tang. Ages well as the flavors seem to have both ripened and mellowed over time. Very easy to drink as well. A beer to be savored and enjoyed whilst dreaming of the finer things in life.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2003 16:20:52 | More by brakspear

mickeymac

California

4.63/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is 2001 vintage. It comes it a bottle that looks like it means business. I can picture this thing sitting on a bar on the Barbary Coast with a crowd of drunken prospectors brawling over it. It pours a scary inky-black with a tan head that starts off like gangbusters but settles down a bit after sitting in the glass for a few minutes. The smell is just crazy complex, with hazelnut, roasted barley, prunes, and roadkill.

Topping out the roasty and ripe fruit flavors is a hint of mint and a slight medicinal taste. The mouthfeel is nice and chunky. The drinkability is good for the style; even so, it's not the type of beer you'll want to devote an entire night to drinking. I'm not sure exactly what it is about this beer, but it gave me an overwhelming urge go grab a sledgehammer out of the garage and starting smashing shit. I'm going to start looking for other vintages. Skol.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2003 22:22:33 | More by mickeymac

BeerBuilder

Minnesota

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

Pours black with ruby highlights. It forms a thick, light brown head with excellent lacing. The aroma is roasty and chocolatey. It has a deep roasted malt flavor. It is expresso-like in flavor also. It is a full-bodied beer, which has a somewhat creamy texture. It was a very tasty porter; I would definitely sample this one again.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2003 09:46:28 | More by BeerBuilder

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

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

2001. Pours a very deep mahogany brown with a reddish cast when held to the light; but appears black in the glass beneath a creamy light-tan head. The head holds fairly well at first but soon dissipates to just a thin collar and some whispy surface foam.The nose expresses a sweet vanilla-laced caramel maltiness and some light, yeasty fruitiness. The body is medium; and it combines with a fine, moderate carbonation to leave it creamy and smooth in the mouth. The flavor is bold; and displays a vanilla/butter/caramel maltiness up-front, and a bit of chocolate towards the swallow along with some earthy/herbal hop flavors and a dull bitterness. It finishes bready with some residual sugary maltiness (molasses, brown sugar, light milk chocolate) and a drying bitterness. Quite exceptional! A classic Baltic porter that's well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2003 18:13:57 | More by NeroFiddled

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

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

This oddly named Swedish Export is a very interesting Baltic-style Porter. Black Coffee in color with a heavy to medium malty body. The hop content is fairly high, possessing a raw hop bite. Dry and crisp and lightly smoky with a hint of caramel sweetness. Pleasing hop and lightly smoky aroma. This is a well-made, easy to drink porter with a nice beige head...speaking of which, I’d like to experience this dark Swede with a Swedish blonde on a cold winter’s eve!

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2003 07:20:31 | More by BeerResearcher

cokes

Wisconsin

4.4/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Condemned in 2001. No chance of salvation until April 2010.

The crimson blackness is ringed with a small brown foam.
Nose is ripped apart with winged plums, and malts singed with the fires of Hades.

Taste begins the descent:

At the First Gate, torturous black malts wail with a sizzling harsh sweetness.
The Second Gate beacons with undying Grapes wallowing in their Earthly sins.
Past the Third Gate, Roasted Barley screams for forgiveness.
The Forth Gate smolders with an unholy smokiness, strapped to its device of oaken, woody horror.
The Fifth Gate exibits chocolate malt contorted in an obscene manner, pleading for mercy, as the poker is jabbed to its ribs.
Gate #6 contains plums, too lustful in life to exist elsewhere.
Beyond the stone-hued Seventh Gate is a sulfurous surge of reduced coffee that emits fumes of pure decadence.
The buttery whimpering of diacetyl lie past the Eight Gate, Joined with an acidic bawl.
The final gate, Number 9, is a raisin-drenched screech of alcohol-drowned dark fruit pain and suffering.

The deliciousness of pure wickedness unfolds. But the malice is less full than expected.
Nevertheless, it is a vice that can be indulged en masse.

Truly devilish.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2003 01:00:25 | More by cokes

MJR

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1998 Vintage.

Appearance: Pours an opaque black body with lots of huge bubbles pretending to be a head. The bubbles don't last long and I'm left with what appears to be a glass of oil...in other words, it looks yummy!

Smell: Has a complex aroma of coffee, chocolate, roasted grains, and malted milk balls. There's the faintest scent of green hops.

Taste: Fairly sweet with a lot going on. Like the smell, the flavor is quite complex with the attention being shared by burnt, roasted grains, rich chocolate, mollasses, coffee that's been sitting for a while, and malted milk balls...that's right, Whoppers! Interesting! Finishes with a slight hop flavor, not bitterness really, but a distinct 'green' flavor.

Mouthfeel: Well, the carbonation's mostly gone, but it's doesn't really feel flat. It's got a medium thickness body with an oily, wet mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Give me a newer bottle with all of it's full carbonation and I could drink this all night. This is a fantastic porter, but not so complex as to limit the drinker to one or two.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2003 15:57:45 | More by MJR

Rocko

Sweden

4.78/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Vintage 2002:

Wow this is a real baby. :) Pours pitch black with a small brown head that fades away after a few seconds. It smells very malty with hints of coffee and dark chocolate, I think it has a really pleasant smell.

The taste is very complex, nice and pleasantly bitter, there is also a bit of coffee and burnt sugar in the background. The aftertaste is very long, but not as bitter as one would think. Thumbs up from me.

I think I will buy a few and let them mature!

Quote from the back label: "Carnegie Porter was created in 1836 and the taste is the same today" Anyone happen to have a 1836 vintage? ;))

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2003 08:53:28 | More by Rocko

stegmakk

New York

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

2001 bottle
Color is DARK brown almost black. Head was a nice tan but dissapeared quickly. Smelled a little coffe flavor but it was too metallic to give it a higher rating. The taset was great. There wasn't much of the metal flavor. It is a nicely blended porter. Not too coffee like, but just enough. It had a smooth slightly thick feel. Definately a good porter. Definately worth getting again.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2003 20:00:41 | More by stegmakk

JoeyHotrod

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1997 bottle..... The beer poured to a dark brown almost black color with not much in the way of a head. There were hints of a good strong coffee as well as the chocolate you would expect in a nice porter. There was not much in the way of carbonation which is a good thing from my perspective.

Not my favorite porter and perhaps just a shade or two light, but overall a very nice beer to enjoy. Not easy to find from what I understand, but clearly worth the effort.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2003 18:20:44 | More by JoeyHotrod

JISurfer

South Carolina

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

Damn! This beer totally rocks! The dude from the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg told me that this beer is one of his best Porters, so I took his advice and gave it a shot. I had high expectations for it, and it totally blew those out of the water. This beer has a nice thick malty taste to it and finishes off with a chocolate flavor. Even my girlfriend, who loves to drink Natty(don't worry, I am working on her), totally digged this stuff. I totally recommend this beer to anyone who is looking for a change for the better.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2002 00:18:00 | More by JISurfer

Realale

Missouri

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1998 version, but purchased in 2002.

Deep reddish brown, with definite black overtones. No head at all - just little wisps of foam.

Nose is licorice, but the really good yeasty, bready kind of licorice. Supporting date and raisin notes as well.

Very malty on the palate. Lots of licorice again, but nice acidity and bitterness add complexity and keep the residual sweetness from becoming cloying. An interesting take on a Porter.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2002 18:47:21 | More by Realale

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A definitive ebony hue. Good, crackling tan head. As Fred Eckhart recommends, put this one to your ear and listen! Aroma is a blast of espresso, cocoa, anise and molasses. Rich and roasted, with loads of bitterness on the palate and a tenacious finish. Complex, if a bit gritty. Not a brew for novices or girly-men, this is stiff and substantial stuff. Label says best before August 2O1O, but who could wait that long? Unfortunately, the brewery has become bereft of their senses and is discontinuing this classic, so grab one if you can.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2002 16:57:34 | More by feloniousmonk

comat0se

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2001: Pours a nice dark ruby color with chocolate overtones with a smooth, tan head leaving behind a lacy cling. A whiff from the glass reveals big sweet, malty, dark fruity, raisin aromas. Big sweet malt flavor with a slight metallic twinge, some alcohol warming, medium fruitiness like plums or raisins, and a mild roasted malt contribution. A dry hops finish with some grain astringency keeps this beer under control. It has a smooth, medium-heavy body with medium carbonation, but has an almost syrupy consistency. This is a super malty porter... I didn't know they could be like this. Almost reminded me of some doppelbocks, but with some roast character added.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2002 21:14:15 | More by comat0se