Smuttynose Baltic Porter (Big Beer Series) - Smuttynose Brewing Company

mpyle

Maryland

3.83/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bomber

App - opaque but hints that it is clear, pours a big tan colored head, tightly bubbled and long lasting.

Aroma - Slight smoky aroma, like a smokey dark fruit. Almost no alcohol in the aroma.

Taste - Rich malty flavor with smoke overtones, plum, malty but never sweet. Transition to finish is fairly smooth - no harsh bitterness. Alcohol flavor more evident in the finish.

MF - Medium to rich body, and moderately carbonated. Some definite alcohol warming, but smooth and in the style of the beer.

Overall - Definitely a big porter, but lacks some of the complex dark fruit flavors evident in the classic examples. A nicely made beer, but a bit off style wise.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 01:15:40 | More by mpyle

marley2112

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-20-2013 02:30:39 | More by marley2112

bcuz7

Florida

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-19-2013 21:38:05 | More by bcuz7

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-18-2013 22:00:13 | More by Photekut

AL89BR

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-18-2013 19:45:23 | More by AL89BR

teeeebs

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-14-2013 21:13:51 | More by teeeebs

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.96/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle opened on 4.21.13
2013 Vintage

A - Pours a very dark brown with a fizzy brown two inch head that fades quickly.

S - Coffee, vanilla, roasted malts.

T - Vanilla up front, then coffee and finishes with a touch of soy.

D - Lower carbonation with a heavier body.

O - Vanilla and coffee heavy. Nice Baltic Porter that drinks really easy.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 04:42:28 | More by HuskyinPDX

zillo043068

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-12-2013 17:54:08 | More by zillo043068

Jonada

New Jersey

4.04/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review #100

2013 bottle. Served in a snifter.

Appearance: Pours a deep dark brown color with 2 fingers of a creamy dark tan head with good retention and lacing. Body is nearly opaque with only slight hints of ruby red along the bottom edge of the glass.

Smell: Bitter dark chocolate, roasted malt, earthy hops, with light hints of raisin and molasses.

Taste: Roasted malt, black licorice, roasted coffee, bakers chocolate, booze, with a light caramel presence in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Lighter end of full bodied, viscous mouthfeel. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Really good beer though a bit boozy for being "only" 9.8%. Definitely worth picking up now, but I'd also be interested to see what some age does to this.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 00:13:46 | More by Jonada

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-11-2013 22:38:49 | More by ummswimmin

mportnoy

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +11.2%

05-11-2013 20:28:22 | More by mportnoy

theminutemen

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-09-2013 21:29:09 | More by theminutemen

caguiar

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-09-2013 15:51:18 | More by caguiar

ItalianHopHead203

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-09-2013 14:34:08 | More by ItalianHopHead203

Hairrrrrrrr

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-09-2013 01:22:31 | More by Hairrrrrrrr

Rogorama

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-09-2013 00:46:42 | More by Rogorama

cadaugherty

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-08-2013 00:03:36 | More by cadaugherty

FosterJM

California

3.86/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1764th Review on BA
Bottle to Libbey Porter glass
22oz

2013 release

Thanks to Jlindros and RudZud for this one.

App- Out of the bottle this pours like molasses mixed with maple syrup. A bit of a coca cola color head with a good amount of retention. It's a big porter in one go. The color is fairly dense with spots of chocolate syrup black.

Smell- I really got a lot out of this but wasnt necessarily what I thought. A lot of roast and peat behind this for me. A bit of bakers chocolate mixed with some prickly booze and raisins.

Taste- This was a good porter. A lot of brash and bold flavors just a bit unbalanced for me. The prickly flavor carried over and brought a bit of peat, raisin and smoke on the flavor to me. A bit hot and boozy.

Mouth- A very medium body with a solid medium carbonation to it. It drank fairly thick. The residual chocolate, roast and peat flavors were nice but needed to come down a little. A bit too thick for me.

Drink- I can see why this was in the Top 250. A good beer for the style with semi. Good balance, large aromas and flavors and warms on a cold CA night.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 14:41:58 | More by FosterJM

quetzal013

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-06-2013 02:53:11 | More by quetzal013

dheacck11

Connecticut

4.01/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour is pitch black with mahogany finger and half of head.

Nose is full of roasty malts. Hint of coffee.

Taste is roasty and a little smokey, with a strong coffee component, as well as hints of cacao and bitter dark chocolate, though subtle. Great malty finish.

Feel is medium thick and rich.

Nice porter. Little on the bitter side for my preferences, but excellent complexity and flavor. Would do better with some balance on the sweetness side.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 00:18:29 | More by dheacck11

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-04-2013 11:55:55 | More by RedneckBeerz

KevinmusPrime

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-03-2013 18:17:46 | More by KevinmusPrime

BuckeyeSlim

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

2013 release poured into a NB snifter.

A - Pours a rich, deep, dark copper-brown, almost like syrup. A thick three-finger head of well-tanned khaki foam that's really tight very slowly dissolves, leaving a generous band of lace around the edge of the glass. Even after the head has finally disappeared, the surface is still covered by an almost solid sheen of very fine bubbles. Held to a full-spectrum light, the beer is a rich black and completely solid - not a bit of light penetrates the liquid, even at the edges of the glass.

S - Dark biscuits, chocolate bread, hints of anise. Alcohol pushes up into the nose just behind these, and it's almost too much as it hides any subtle smells that might also be in the glass. As it warms, 50% milk chocolate shows up, along with hints of dark dried fruits like tart black cherries. Notes of dark caramels also appear.

T - A cup of medium roast coffee with lots of rich dark bitter chocolate melted into it. Boozy, almost like cough syrup. Hot. Some notes of dark, unsweetened dried fruit like dark plums and raisins with licorice mix with earthy bittering hops and dark cocoa powder on the back-end.

M - Thick and frothy from the carbonation makes it airy, but creamy on the tongue like a Fudgsicle. Richness. Surprisingly dry on a finish that hangs around more on the alcohol than anything else.

O - Rich and full in ingredients, this beer needs to age to let the alcohol integrate into them and mellow it out. A drink to warm your tummy on a cold winter night. The next couple of these I find are going to be laid down for a couple of years to see if that's what can turn this promise of a delicious brew into an actual one. If it does, this is easily a beer that will score well into the 4s. The components are clearly there - they just need more time to come together.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 05:08:41 | More by BuckeyeSlim

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4.24/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bomber into a shaker pint, the beer is a dark, thick, brown-to-black coloring with a frothy, dense, light brown colored head that settles into a quarter inch layering. Pours thick. Aromas of roast coffee, bittersweet chocolate, a touch of smoke, and a hint of old world fruit sweetness. Flavors are rich and bold, with a solid dose of bitter dark chocolate and a rich sweetness of raisins and dates. The coffee character is there, but it takes a backseat to this one. There is a touch of heat from the increased ABV, but it helps to enhance and balance the flavor profiles. Very smooth in mouth, with a transition to a clean, dry finish. Very well made brew. Roasted and slightly boozey aftertaste, with a mocha twist. This is a great beer!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 03:31:31 | More by GarthDanielson

MCain04

Illinois

3.91/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to BostonRyan for picking one of these guys up in the New England area for me. 22oz bottle, 2013 vintage, poured into a FFF Teku.

A: Near-black pour with a dark khaki head of 2+ fingers, great retention, decent lacing.

S: Chocolate and roasted malts, figs and dried fruit, hazelnut, a little caramel. Not overly aromatic though.

T: Similar to the nose, but subdued, and a strong sourdough bread-like taste. Some acidity tot he front of the taste. There is a sweetness and dark fruit taste. Aftertaste is of bready malts and leaves a cloying heaviness on the back of the palate.

M: High carbonation bite. Very thick but overly sticky. Smooth but not as smooth as I'd expect from a Baltic Porter's lagering.

O: Solid brew. I'm not an expert on the style, but I didn't find this as anything special. I'm glad to have tried it and enjoyed it, but the carbonation and acid taste take away from what should be a mellow experience.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 01:11:20 | More by MCain04