Ølfabrikken Porter - Ølfabrikken

Reaper16

Alabama

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

22oz. bomber served into a tulip glass

A black, stout-like body sits heavy in the glass. An aggressive pour yields a little over one finger of head that is a very dark tan in color. The large-bubbled foam laces in textbook notches.

There is a lot going on in the nose; way more than you expect from a porter, Baltic or otherwise. I think that this beer wouldn't stand out if placed in a blind smelling of imperial stouts. First up is the deep grain smell that indicates a strongly malty dark beer. Next is the roast of coffee, not enough to make one think "coffee porter" but pleasantly strong nonetheless. A considerable element of sticky dark fruits come out - fig, prune - with a bitter flourish of licorice. This really does smell more like an imperial stout than a Baltic Porter. There is so much complexity of aroma here for a beer of only 7.5% ABV. The smells aren't innovative, just well-executed and plentiful.

The taste is all porter and man, is it good. Dark chocolate and lots of roasted coffee beans make up the bulk of this malt-bomb. Lots of bitterness but it doesn't overwhelm the palate because the sweetness is just as strong. The kind of dark fruit flavors that are characteristic of the Baltic Porter style work to balance the bitterness. The finish is fig yielding to coffee and char. As the beer warms to a proper temperature some new flavors emerge. The hops give a bright lupulin note to the finish and a certain small level of smoky flavor stalks around the whole drink.

The mouthfeel is just-right for a Baltic Porter. It is on the thick side but not so far removed from medium-bodied that you mistake it for something other than a porter beer. The flavor, while strong, is balanced enough to make the whole bomber a very easy drink. Again, the flavor payoff for just a 7.5% ABV beer is tremendous.

A wonderful Baltic Porter; perhaps the best I've had. I love Okocim Porter but that beer doesn't have the bitterness (and subsequently, the complexity) that Olfabrikken Porter has. Any fan of bold stouts and porters should owe it to themselves to find this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 01:19:05 | More by Reaper16

artoolemomo

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

04-01-2013 01:48:54 | More by artoolemomo

Sparky44

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +10%

03-30-2013 04:40:44 | More by Sparky44

westcoastbeerlvr

California

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

01-10-2013 22:54:41 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

eawolff99

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

12-08-2012 23:58:40 | More by eawolff99

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -7.4%

12-04-2012 23:12:14 | More by t0rin0

enelson

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

12-04-2012 18:47:01 | More by enelson

FosterJM

California

4.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

1639th Review on BA
Bottle to 20oz Nonic
22oz

Thanks to Ehammond1 for this bottle.

App- This was a deep dark brown. Like a bit of chocolate mixed with that brown crayon from a crayola box. It was a bit of a dense center with some ruby edges and sat in the glass with a rich looking app. The head was a good 2 fingers and slightly pulled apart with some good cling. A very good looking porter.

Smell- This was a nice and full aromatic porter. It started off a bit smoky with a little bit of candied chocolate sweetness and the once it got a little above 60 it became much more smooth on the nose. No booze, no grainy porter notes, just a bit more chocolate and malt. Like a beer milkshake.

Taste- A really great Porter. This opened a bit small at 1st with a bit of the flavors seemingly playing on their own. A little chocolate, a little smokey and a touch malty. Once it warmed a little passed the 60 mark it transformed into pure bliss to where I couldnt put the glass down. It was gone before I knew it. Silky smooth at points and blended well when a bit more of the chocolate come out. No trace of a normal porter hop bite either.

Mouth- Sublimely smooth and medium body. A great body on this one, with silky chocolates malts making it like a beer milk. A good carbonation level with a touch of prickly behind but more of a medium body.

Drink- I am really sad I only had 1 bottle of this one. The beer is drinking fantastic lately and cant thank E enough for this beer. Would love more! Could see why it was a Top 100 for a while.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 18:34:08 | More by FosterJM

MasterSki

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

10-20-2012 06:45:53 | More by MasterSki

Gregfalone

California

4.43/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This is my first beer review ever, so ill do my best-

Serving- Poured from a 650 ml bottle marked "minst holdbar til 2007 09" into a 22oz wheat beer glass.

Appearance- Beer pours out almost syrupy and nearly black, with 1 finger of light brown head, that dissipates after a minute or two, completely disapearing 3/4 of the way through,leaving no lacing. No light shows through this beer whatsoever. Looks like used motor oil. I like used motor oil!

Aroma- Smells of roasted malts, Carmel, delicious coffee,brown sugar
and a hint of smoked meats.

Taste- This one starts off bitter, and dark fruits in the middle, but not sweet. like dates, but without sugar. It ends almost like a port wine. Slightly sweeter than the beginning, but still not "sweet". I guess it's literally bittersweet. Can slightly detect the alcohol

Mouth- Medium-heavy to heavy body, nice and thick. Perfect carbonation. Coats well, makes me want a steak.

Overall- This beer is no longer produced, and I think it is a real shame. I was lucky to spot it sitting on the shelf at my local neighborhood liqourstore. This is a very good Baltic porter, I wish I could compare it to a fresh one, but I guess that will never happen. If I ever see this again, I will most definately buy it.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 06:36:56 | More by Gregfalone

freewill35

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +10%

10-01-2012 22:33:33 | More by freewill35

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Chris (raveskdr) for sharing this rarity that's been on my wants for a long time.

The beer pours a great very dark brown with very little head and no lacing whatsoever even with a swirl, has a very viscous look.

The smell is very well balanced, no flavors really stand out its all quite compact and delicious smelling. Like a really decadent dessert with great sweet chocolatey notes and succulent malt, almost likes milkshake. Dark fruits add in, giving it the Baltic porter character that disguises some of the roast. Very nice aroma.

The taste is very similar, and again has a very compact and smooth palate to the flavor, very refined and tight. Nice dark fruits, a little soy sauce (without being salty), slight roast, a lot less sweetness than the aroma though so it is not at all cloying but I do wish it was a little sweeter it would balance out the mid palate very nicely and propel the other flavors.

The palate is good, not as viscous as hoped almost bordering on watery but very smooth and no burn or heat from alcohol at all, a,so very little carbonation.

A very nice beer, a star in the Baltic porter style!

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 00:23:11 | More by Dreadnaught33

Elfastball7

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +10%

06-14-2012 12:04:31 | More by Elfastball7

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Friar Tuck's in Savoy, IL
No bottled on date
Poured into a tulip glass

Ølfabrikken Porter is an excellent Baltic Porter, less sweet than others in the style, with a focus on roasted characters that outweigh any sweetness by a significant factor. For some, this may be not appropriate, but I found this a highly enjoyable "big" porter with plenty of robust aromas and tastes. I only wish it was more readily available (and still in production?).

Pours a tan head that is 2cm in height, composed of small and medium-sized bubbles. Leaves modest, spot-like lacing along the side of the glass as it descends. Eventually, head settles to a thin cap atop the body. Drink itself is extremely dark brown or black in color (unable to tell) that allows no light to pass through it. Unable to see any carbonation.

Aroma features strong roasted malt, chocolate malt, and coffee scents (strength in that order), with minor notes of prune-like sweetness and brown sugar. Scents are generally

Taste features strong, dominant roasted malt and coffee beans along with some vanilla, caramelized sugar, and chocolate. A flurry of rich, roasted flavors of all sorts, quite delicious.

Medium to medium-heavy bodied, with medium-level carbonation that's just enough to effervesce this slightly on the palate. Resultant mouthfeel is generally smooth, but with enough carbonation to have everything move on the palate purposefully and not feel stagnant. Closes dry, with a bit of residual stickiness.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 05:02:10 | More by falloutsnow

theminutemen

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

04-22-2012 20:38:08 | More by theminutemen

BMart

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

03-07-2012 03:06:22 | More by BMart

DarthKostrizer

California

4.38/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Look: Black with a brown ring at the top. Just over a 1/4 inch mocha colored head and ok retention. The head settles to a thin collar

Smell: Lots of chocolate malt and some coffee with just a whiff of vanilla and brown sugar

Taste: Roasted malt and roasted coffee upfront with some brown sugar mid palate and finishes with a nice amount of chocolate

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body low carbonation and a silky sticky finish

Overall: Just a great beer

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 02:56:00 | More by DarthKostrizer

kevgod

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +15.7%

02-11-2012 05:28:19 | More by kevgod

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle into a goblet

A: Pours pitch black with a finger of dense medium brown head. Retention is great. Beautiful beer.

S: Strong roasted malts dominate with molasses, smoke, and dark chocolate in the background. I also get some dark fruits in the background, but it's fairly weak. As the beer warms up, I get more and more dark fruits and molasses.

T: Upfront, I get strong dark chocolate and molasses. Interestingly, roasted malts and smokiness build strength as I take more sips. Moderate hop bitterness is present, enough to balance the beer without being overpowering.

M: Quite thick with strong carbonation.

O: A very solid Baltic Porter. Nothing overly interesting, but it's not trying to be. I very much enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 00:21:29 | More by coreyfmcdonald

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle in an oversized tulip glass.

Pours black with a ¾ finger width of frothy milk chocolate colored head. This retains with a thin creamy ring around the edges of the glass, leaving back a cascade of spotty lacing which slowly descends down the sides of the glass. The aroma smells of smoky roast, chocolate, brown sugar, and green citrus. This is strong enough feeling in the nose but unfortunately also has a strong underpinning of fusel alcohol underneath with takes a bit away from this.

The taste is quite rich and flavorful, with notes of dark smoky roast and bitter citric hops, which is balanced by a sticky sweet wall of chocolate and sugary molasses flavors. This finishes dry and bitter, with some lingering smokiness hanging on the breath after each sip. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied and sits with some chewy heft in the mouth. A bit of a firm prickle runs down the center of the tongue, which adds some liveliness to the feel. Unfortunately, like the aroma, I’m just picking up too much alcohol in the body and taste of this that does add some stinging qualities that distracts a bit from the other flavors.

I had been cellaring this one for a couple of years, so I’m not sure how big of an impact this had on the beer but despite having a rather flavorful smoky and tangy character to it, this just showed too much alcohol (especially for a 8% beer) to be wholly enjoyable for me. It’s definitely intrigued me enough though to maybe track down a fresher bottle of this at some point. Even with the alcohol this is still quite good.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 15:30:43 | More by Kegatron

Bobbydigi

Kansas

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

01-21-2012 03:24:08 | More by Bobbydigi

ygtbsm94

Virginia

4/5  rDev -7.4%

01-19-2012 04:50:27 | More by ygtbsm94

spkissane

Indiana

5/5  rDev +15.7%

01-17-2012 19:55:25 | More by spkissane

auroracrisis

Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber into a snifter.

Black, small head on the pour with a ring as it is settles. Not very dense, a shade of red or brown can be seen around the edges of the body against the light.

Roast, fudge, and chocolate greet your nose with a touch of earthyness. More roast in the form of espresso and bakers chocolate lie directly behind the initial aroma. This one is all about that nice, toasty roast.

Opens with soft roasty notes of espresso and the sweet/bitter combination of the darkest fudge you can imagine. Moves further into more sweet, oily flavors of rich darker chocolates. A hint at earthyness as well on the finish.

Thin-medium on the tongue with a touch of drying. A bit oily too, and almost no carbonation.

Great roast and chocolate flavors displayed on a nice oily canvas. It's a shame this brewery went out of business, I am really liking this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 07:12:55 | More by auroracrisis

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: black bodied beer with medium brown head.

Smell: Really smoky and roasty nose. Has a fruity note in there too!

Taste: Smoke is heavy in this beer; its smoke notes are both meaty (like bacon) and roasty. Even finding a little bit of charcoal and earthiness in there as well from the smoke notes. Some chocolate and black licorice that add some sweetness that help to break up all the smoke dominating the beer. I also get a hint of plums and raisins. The finish and aftertaste is all smoky.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. The beer feels like its a well made beer and the carbonation is appropriate for the style. Very drinkable baltic porter. Not boozey at all.

Overall: Really nice Batic Porter. I think that Killer Kapowski and this beer are the best Baltic Porter I have drank; but I do prefer killer kapowski. I wish this beer was just a little less smoky and just a bit sweeter. Not much else I would change.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 04:36:33 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT