Southampton Imperial Baltic Porter - Southampton Publick House

Douglas14

California

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pours very with a minimal light brown head. It has a great aroma: very chocolatey and roasty. Taste is also of roasted malt and coffee notes. You can definitely tell this is a porter by its body. It has a lot of complexity but doesn't have a very full body. Feels very silky in the mouth and goes down great. Very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2007 03:11:02 | More by Douglas14

shand

Florida

4/5  rDev +0.8%

05-22-2013 01:21:14 | More by shand

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

05-20-2013 18:38:38 | More by Slatetank

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev +0.8%

05-19-2013 01:19:47 | More by Photekut

BushwyckCraft

New York

4/5  rDev +0.8%

04-25-2013 01:17:58 | More by BushwyckCraft

deonreds

New York

4/5  rDev +0.8%

03-17-2013 03:30:40 | More by deonreds

Milkysunshine

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

02-09-2013 23:17:39 | More by Milkysunshine

MSandahl23

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

02-08-2013 00:56:41 | More by MSandahl23

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Enjoying out of the bottle as I don't have my proper glassware with me; if I try it again with a glass I will edit this review.
Enjoyed slightly warm, as dark beers lend themselves quite well to. Smell is alcoholic and malty, slightly roasted. Taste follows; I must be used to American Porters, because this Baltic one tastes more like a strong lager than a porter. Mouthfeel is full and fizzy. Still a great beer, just a little different than expected.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 03:31:22 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

CloudStrife

New York

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a very very dark brown that hinges on pitch black. 1 finger slightly yellowed head. Fizzles to a ring in a few minutes. Can see through about an inch of the beer and it is clear and

S: Some coffee and chocolate along with dark fruits. Pretty nice roasted malt to it. Gets more fruit characteristics as it warms. Some alcohol is present.

T: Similar to the smell it has some coffee and chocolate. Pretty smooth and well balanced. Feel some hop in there too.

M: Slightly watery like most porters but a still contains a fairly rich mouthfeel. Pretty easy drinking, better as it warms.

Overall a tasty and very drinkable porter that I wouldnt turn down. A little lackluster for a brewery that makes some real good beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 02:32:39 | More by CloudStrife

chinchill

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle allowed to warm for about 15 minutes, then served in a snifter.

A: pours a deep, dark, clear mahogany but is opaque and nearly black in the snifter. The frothy light brown head is mostly short-lived but leaves some lacing.

Aroma: mild-to-moderate strength. Dark malt and fruits, especially prune and raisin, notes of dark sweet chocolate, hints of alcohol, a bit of burnt raisins, and a smidge of roasted black express beans. 4.1

Taste: The beer is sweet with plenty of dark fruit, including notes of prunes, raisins, dates and a hint of cherry. Some dark chocolate and light coffee flavors come to the fore in the finish and aftertaste. Dark roasted grain and well-done toast linger into the finish as well. A bit boozy, but in a nice, brandy-like way. 4.2

M: full bodied, if not quite chewy; creamy smooth; well-chosen low carbonation.

O: This excellent Baltic Porter is rich and malty with ample notes of roasted grains, and dark fruits. This beer is nicely crafted, with enough complexity and depth to maintain interest even if used as a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 23:52:26 | More by chinchill

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

Light fizzy head fades fairly quickly, dark almost pitch black but a bit too thin to be actually black.

Nose has syrupy malts, light chocolate syrup, mocha, malt.

Taste has nice dark malts, chocolate, malted milk ball, cocoa, bakers choc, creamy, hint of bitterness. Finish is still fairly sweet, cocoa and light bitterness lingering.

Mouth is med bodied, lighter carb.

Overall nice, bit lacking on the carb and nose, bit otherwise nice malts and light bitterness, drinkable and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 02:58:11 | More by jlindros

drtth

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: As poured the beer is a dark brown, almost black, color with a ¼” light tan head that soon recedes to a ring of foam, a patch of irregular large bubbles off to one side and some very thin patches of foam on the surface of the liquid. Sipping leaves irregular patches and small speckles of foam clinging to the sides of the glass for much of the beer.

Smell: The aroma is filled with roasted malt. There’s dark chocolate here, some coffee, some dark molasses, and a touch of herbal earthiness.

Taste: As predicted by the nose, there’s some dark chocolate and coffee here along with the dark molasses. The alcohol is well concealed and the hop flavors don’t really show because of the roasted, almost burnt, dark malt flavors.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is on the light side of medium bodied with some nice light prickly feeling from the carbonation. The finish is fairly long as it fades into dry roasted bitterness in the back of the mouth.

Drinkability and Overall Impression: I quite enjoyed sipping my way through this one and will be happy to have it again. My overall impression is that this is an interesting, well-made, beer that is well worth sampling and having once in a while. It also demonstrates quite nicely what a fuzzy boundary separates related styles from each other. In some ways this reminds of a Porter and of a Baltic Porter, and in some ways it reminds of an Imperial Stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 00:52:44 | More by drtth

MrVonzipper

California

4.75/5  rDev +19.6%

03-03-2012 05:26:06 | More by MrVonzipper

jtuttle

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.8%

02-25-2012 02:53:32 | More by jtuttle

CTBeerPope

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought a single of this. Glad I tried it.

Pours dense black. Minimal head spotty lacing.

Roasty aroma. Some coffee. Some chocolate.

Taste is mild coffee, chocolate and slight dark fruit flavor. Its quite mild for 7%. Flavors are well balanced.

Medium mouthfeel with lower carbonation

This was better than average. If I was in the mood for a darker brew I would give it another go. It got better as time went by.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 03:03:41 | More by CTBeerPope

spark3148857

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

02-19-2012 14:35:44 | More by spark3148857

jfcaa193

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +0.8%

02-18-2012 22:32:17 | More by jfcaa193

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a expected dark brown very black in color with a 1/2 inch of mocha colored head.

S - Smells of roasty coffee and mild cocoa nibs. Licorice and anise also comes to mind.

T - Roasty and balanced I get mild coffee's, cocoa, and licorice in the finish all are very balanced in flavor. ABV is perfect making this even more drinkable.

M - Medium bodied and chewy as expected.

Overall kind of reminds me a bit of the Hebrew 8 since it's a very roasty balanced porter. In the same boat too since it's no where to be found around me but worth buying again if I got it from Halftime beverage. Good porter.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 17:24:45 | More by DrDemento456

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

3.03/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle poured into standard pint.

A - Nearly black with a thick tan head. There is good retention and a nice lacing. The appearance is probably the most impressive feature of this beer.

S - Big toasty malt, with some oak, licorice, dark fruits. I get a strange grainy smell, almost musty, as well.

T - Follows the nose with some chocolate and alcohol thrown in there. No real bitterness or acidic nature. None of the flavors are fully developed and it lacks complexity in my opinion.

M - Very thin with light to medium carbonation. Goes down easy.

O - I find this baltic porter to be underwhelming and a tad watery. It is very easy drinking, and not at all harsh, but leaves me wanting more. It isn't terrible but I probably won't get it again on purpose.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 02:42:05 | More by NoLeafClover44

acurtis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.8%

02-01-2012 01:24:22 | More by acurtis

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Guinness tulip pint.

A: Pours dark brown with two fingers of tan head.

S: Soft earthy hops and light maltiness. There is a slightly unpleasant metallic aroma to this.

T: Fortunately, the flavour picks up. Its rich, but clean. Hop presence is very minimal and roasty, cocoa notes dominate.

D: Mouthfeel is thin, but this goes down smooth and easy. Very well balanced.

Overall: I know the brewmaster at Southampton has a habit of exploring the historical roots of beers; it appears that this is the result of such an experiment. It falls somewhere between foreign extra stout and strong dark lager, which is what these beers most likely tasted like back in the day. As opposed to today, where Baltic porter has become synonymous with imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 00:09:50 | More by JohnnyChicago

Beertracker

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev +0.8%

01-27-2012 16:59:23 | More by Beertracker

jak

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.8%

12-29-2011 17:02:28 | More by jak

Hoagie1973

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

12-14-2011 18:04:30 | More by Hoagie1973