Fra Til Via (From To Via) - Mikkeller ApS

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml gold foil covered capped bottle poured into tulip 29/11/12

A black liquid with a massive mocha foam even after a gentle pour, good retention slowly falling to an island leaving several partial rings of lace

S fennel, anise, licorice, and faint mint mix well with some smoke, molasses and cola, nice dark roast notes of char and faint cold coffee, smells great with lots going on, some earthy and faint citric hops are in there adding to the mix

T less of the lovely licorice, anise and fennel notes and a little more dark roast flavors, more smoke and char especially on the finish, a little burnt sugar and some root beer and cola are noticeable

M silky and just a few bubbles with some faint heat, there's a little left behind on the gums and just a little sticky on the lips

O very solid brew and yet another example of .25 increments being useful so slightly higher overall score. Great use of spicing even though I'm not sure what they used, solid in every area

I might be buying another of these if I have any money left from all the Winter seasonals that just bombarded Alberta. I like the gift tag label and just had to write my name beside both to and from, I deserve a gift to ya know

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 07:58:38 | More by wordemupg

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-20-2013 20:22:50 | More by BeerForMuscle

Ale-ienation

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasted as part of last year's Kerstbier Fest at The Trappist, Oakland, CA.

A: Pours jet black with full dark beige head.

S: Malt heavy aroma, with roasted coffee, chocolate, chestnuts.

T: More of same--dark chocolate, roasted malts and burnt malts, coffee.

M: Medium bodied, silky texture.

O: Awesome. Delicious holiday porter.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2013 03:26:21 | More by Ale-ienation

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1 pint 9.4 fl oz. bottle, no apparent bottled on date, although I am confident that I have the correct listing of this beer. I wonder if there is a difference in taste between this beer, and it's many variations. Bottled sometime in late 2012. Been eyeing this beer for a while now, and excited to try it.

Poured into a St. Bernardus Watou chalice.

A - Pours three giant fluffy fingers of creamy doughy mocha colored head on top of a thick oily opaque black body. Nice stringy strands of lacing coating the glass. Very nice looking.

S - Smell is comprised of coffee bean roast, licorice, some subdued hop presence.

T - Taste follows the nose: roasted coffee bean bitterness is most pleasant, with some underlying licorice and other winter holiday spices that I can't really identify. Quite possibly there is some peppermint present in there as well. Some dark chocolate & fermented dark fruit action. Licorice isn't over-done, and doesn't ruin the main concentrations of this beer. Body is creamy, fluffy, and smooth.

M - Feel finishes with a bitter coffee bean roast, which is most pleasant indeed. Perhaps a light hoppy aftertaste, also.

Overall, it about lived up to my expectations. Light-bodied, well-balanced, and palatable, and with a rewarding 8.00% abv, I have to say I am a fan. Not heavy or thick like I thought it might be. I am definitely interested in trying other variations of this beer; past and present varieties.

Mikkeller Fra Til Via (From To Via) ---4/5.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 02:58:58 | More by mfnmbvp

CaptDavyJones

New York

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

03-21-2013 01:41:33 | More by CaptDavyJones

saeh

France

4/5  rDev -4.1%

03-16-2013 18:23:17 | More by saeh

YamagamiTravis

Japan

4/5  rDev -4.1%

02-23-2013 13:26:35 | More by YamagamiTravis

Snarf103

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

02-12-2013 05:05:15 | More by Snarf103

dcguitar

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -4.1%

02-05-2013 03:31:00 | More by dcguitar

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -4.1%

01-24-2013 02:39:33 | More by schnarr84

NorCalYeti

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

01-19-2013 17:17:39 | More by NorCalYeti

chubby2u

New York

4.39/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Holy Crap! I just went and drank 2 goblets of this durning my lunch break. This is everything black; bitter chocolate, licorice, and coffee. It attacks your mouth with bitter hops and and an aftertaste of whisky. This was a very delicious beer. It was a wonderful wakeup in the middle of a workday... like a drop-kick to my uvula.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2013 18:23:34 | More by chubby2u

thedirtystayout

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

01-16-2013 20:38:02 | More by thedirtystayout

Harkrank

Sweden

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

01-16-2013 09:31:12 | More by Harkrank

bismarksays

Iowa

4/5  rDev -4.1%

01-15-2013 10:06:59 | More by bismarksays

Hultkrantz

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%

01-14-2013 23:47:47 | More by Hultkrantz

bluesplit63

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

01-13-2013 15:15:57 | More by bluesplit63

BierStein711

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draught into 9 ounce snifter.

Two finger quick reducing tan head.

Jet black in color

Smells of vanilla, coffee, charcoal, and hop

Tastes of vanilla, coffee, roasted malt, and a smooth, warming, boozy finish!

Mouthfeel: Warming and thick

Overall, this is a solid Baltic Porter. I am looking forward to exploring this brewery's portfolio further.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-13-2013 00:11:33 | More by BierStein711

profondo

Sweden

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

01-03-2013 18:41:18 | More by profondo

aztraz

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%

12-30-2012 23:30:48 | More by aztraz

HomerS

Sweden

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

12-30-2012 20:51:45 | More by HomerS

thinwhiteduke

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

12-22-2012 02:07:13 | More by thinwhiteduke

djtomain

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

12-02-2012 02:05:47 | More by djtomain

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml gold-foil capped bottle, mucho gracias to John the rep for the sample. Apparently a new version for this year, even though the style and ABV remain the same.

This beer pours a rather over-foamed mess, of the dense bubbly mocha sort, with an underlying solid black hue, and no discernible highlights. The head maintains a decently spiffy retention, eventually giving up some consistent honeycomb lace around the glass.

It smells of chalky, powdery milk chocolate, some mildly meaty caramel malt, a bit of licorice root, syrupy cola, and leafy, floral, earthy hops. The taste is more pithy, dry chocolate, bready caramel, a vegetal astringency, a slight lactic sourness, and more bitter floral, earthy hops.

The carbonation is rather laid back and sedate, but hardly absent, the body a sturdy medium-heavy weight, and mostly smooth, a slight edginess taking just a tad away. It finishes on the dry side, the malt beholden to the pull of the aforementioned cocoa, and attendant bitter hops.

A pretty hefty, and attenuated porter - the dryness is actually quite welcome, when I was expecting a sweet, boozy Yuletide clusterfuck. Not here, boyos, just a solid chocoholic porter - no foolin'. Worthy enough of the 12 dollar price tag, I would imagine.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 01:52:51 | More by biboergosum