Solidarity - New Albanian Brewing Company - Pizzeria and Public House

bobhits

Kentucky

2.73/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm torn on New Albanian. They make some good beer. It is a bit expensive, but they are also turning out some well chosen style such as their Rye IPA and this Baltic Porter.

This beer to me came off as simply a bit weak and dull for the style. The pour was as expected with, a touch lighter than a black stout but very dark with extremely dark and roasted looking head. Similarly it had the aromas expected with dark coffees and chocolates coming through. The problem is it lacked the intensity that extra bit of sweetness from the malt to really push it from a dry somewhat complex but underwhelming porter to something really impressive.

I think most fans of the stronger porters will find this to be a very respectable example of the style, but it won't blow anyone away and the price most likely will prevent too many people from having a second.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 01:29:17 | More by bobhits

bkonk10

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +9%

05-22-2013 02:02:38 | More by bkonk10

dmorgan310

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +9%

04-18-2013 02:36:34 | More by dmorgan310

Klif

Indiana

3/5  rDev -12.8%

03-17-2013 21:50:33 | More by Klif

smellandsip37

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +1.7%

01-25-2013 22:09:13 | More by smellandsip37

MordorMongo

Indiana

3/5  rDev -12.8%

01-14-2013 14:04:13 | More by MordorMongo

brentk56

North Carolina

2.93/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 1 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Uh oh....the Vesuvius of gushers and, after I cleaned up my kitchen the beer poured all head, eventually producing a only a few inches of chocolate brown liquid in the pint glass

Smell: Chalky chocolate with hints of dark fruit

Taste: Bread and chocolate with a Brett infection that added an interesting dimension to the beer; hints of fruit underneath

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body; somewhat thin and overcarbonated

Overall: Oddly, the Brett rescued this beer from a disastrous performance; still, it is not what it should be by any stretch

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 00:51:58 | More by brentk56

OMG

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev +1.7%

10-16-2012 12:21:33 | More by OMG

mbabble

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev +23.5%

10-08-2012 02:18:09 | More by mbabble

polishkaz

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +9%

08-17-2012 23:25:21 | More by polishkaz

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle. Pours very dark brown, nearly black. Some chestnut highlights. Thin mocha head holds for a few minutes, then remains as a thin layer.

Roasty notes, milk chocolate and dark fruits in the nose. Slight butterscotch feel.

A bit sweet up front. Smooth, but still roasty. Some dark fruit, and a nice bread component. Although there are some nice fruity notes, there is still an overall clean lager feel.

Lighter body with softer carbonation. Alcohol is hidden well, as it is easy drinking but over 8%. Nice combination of flavors going on here.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 00:14:22 | More by Bierguy5

Bung

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz. Just slightly darker than cola brown. Large rocky cream head.

Aroma, lager funk, lighter roast malt. Some chocolate plum, earth.

Taste, quite a bit of chocolate. Some cherry coke. Fades to peat, a roast malt and cocoa. Tinge of coffee.

Maybe a little high on the carb and slightly lighter than standard. Drinks pretty easy though even on a warmer day.
Kind of a warm weather Baltic with the fruit and lighter side body.
I'd probably get it again, but I bet it would be better on draft.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 02:22:21 | More by Bung

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - deep red, almost purplish burgundy hue. A very thin cover of light mocha bubbles, not staying together well but clinging to the edges for a while. Ends up bare-topped after five minutes or so.

Aroma - mild coffee, good roasty element along with the slight stale/sour of the porter style. A light milk chocolate aroma too, which grows with warmth.

Taste - lots of roasted malt and some nuttiness. The sweetness of the malt comes across bready at times, some cola at other times, malted milk balls come to mind. The swallow and finish is malty, roasty, nutty. That's a good Baltic Porter.

Mouthfeel - slightly heavy, medium carbonation, where it should be.

Drinkability - nice beer from NABC. Good across the board. Good one for fireside as winter yields to spring. Enjoying this one indoors while Kentucky-Kansas hoops rages on. Toast to a very watchable season and tournament.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 02:23:20 | More by brewdlyhooked13

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.48/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle tried 19 Dec 2011. Served in the 0.4 L Stuttgarter Hofbrau snifter.

Medium sized brown head. Well carbonated. Clear dark brown. Relatively moderate aroma, slight roastiness, ethanol, earthiness. Starts roasty, lightly chocolatey. Some dark dried fruit. A says very chocolatey. Medium creamy body, medium ethanol. Moderate dark dried fruitiness throughout. Finish and aftertaste become a bit sweeter and chocolatey.

A liked this quite a bit more than I did, which is odd considering her dislike of chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 04:40:01 | More by htomsirveaux

mdfb79

New York

3.53/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

From 03/16/12 notes. Bottled shared by BigSexy410; thanks man. 22 oz. bottle into a tulip.

a - Pours a very dark brown color with one inch of ligh tan head and moderate carbonation.

s - Smells of roasted malts, light sweet chocolate, and light dark chocolate. Not bad but not much going on; pretty average.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, sweet chocolate, sweet vanilla, cream, bread, and dark chocolate. More chocolate and some nice vanilla, better than the nose.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Body is super smooth and creamy; doesn't feel like 8.5% at all. Very nice body and easy to drink.

o - Overall I thought this was a pretty good porter. The nose was a bit one dimensional but the taste was much better, and the mouthfeel was great. Worth trying, would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 18:09:23 | More by mdfb79

nmann08

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev +1.7%

03-17-2012 18:31:00 | More by nmann08

page101

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%

03-17-2012 15:55:37 | More by page101

Brent

Kentucky

3.05/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

An odd sweet/sour character dominated this beer, and proved to be quite a distraction throughout. Nice deep black color. Mouthfeel was a little on the thin side for the style. Up front there was an inital sweetness, quickly replaced with a mildly-lactic sourness, calling to mind some porters that attempt to recreate the "three threads" style of blending old sour with new beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 22:48:34 | More by Brent

headyhopzhead

Indiana

4/5  rDev +16.3%

02-07-2012 17:15:55 | More by headyhopzhead

mrfrancis

Kentucky

3.35/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear garnet with a thin beige mousse. Until this beer is held up to the light, it appears to be a virtually opaque black. The color is definitely interesting, but I would have preferred to see greater head retention.

S: The nose is very subtle and restrained, with aromas of dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla bean, and heavy cream only emerging once the beer has settled and warmed a bit.

T: A sweet, smooth entry reveals notes of heavy cream, vanilla bean, dark chocolate, coffee, prunes, figs, and roasted grain. The finish is smooth and gentle with dark fruit and chocolate notes underscored by mellow alcohol.

M: Full-bodied, silky, and creamy in the mouth. Carbonation is decidedly weak. I would have liked it better if it were firmer.

O: This is a decent enough Baltic porter that is very drinkable and mellow for the style, but I do not feel that it is worth what I paid for it. I doubt I'll be revisiting this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 16:51:23 | More by mrfrancis

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Knowing that Baltic Porters can often be lagered or at least cool conditioned, these Porters can carry a fruiter and milder (but still engrained) chocolatey roast character. But with an ultimate malty character, how much of the vegetal character does this version of Baltic Porters reveal?

Solidarity pours with a deep bark-brown color and building a creamy lightly tanned head. As the foam settles to a broken sheet, it also climbs up the glass with intricate patterns of lace- all hallmarks of a well made malty Porter.

Creamy roast aromas evoke the notes of malted milk, light caramel, cocoa, cold pressed coffee, and cola nut. A well balanced and complex aromatic matrix keeps the nose visiting the glass with intrigue. Warming up a bit, the lager-like vegetal notes of cream corn emmit and weave into the malty malt scent.

The malty tone continues in taste with the flavors of malted milk and milkshakes- almost Whoppers candies. Bolder notes of nutty coffees, fruity chocolate, grape and plumb all share the stage with the firm foundation of malt. All these flavors are delivered in a very smooth and soft profile as lagered versions do. However, the redevelopment of yeasty sulfurs also allow for the taste of cream corn to infultrate the taste and upset the pure malt substrate.

Rich and smooth to texture, the creamy smoke character implies a malty weight that may not actually be there- it's not as heavy as you think. But as the soft carbonation subsides, the beer carries an even fade of malt into a softly coffeeish bitterness into a semi-dry finish of mild warmth and soft creaminess.

Although the creamy flavors of malt are slightly disrupted with the underlying dimethyl sulfide character of corn, I rather like the fruitier and smoother lagered versions of the style which garners a supple grapey sweetness that makes these beers unique.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 06:20:50 | More by BEERchitect

MusicIsLikeBeer

Indiana

1/5  rDev -70.9%

01-28-2012 05:43:57 | More by MusicIsLikeBeer

mborden

New York

3/5  rDev -12.8%

01-15-2012 05:14:29 | More by mborden

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.23/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 3.5

Received in trade from phisigben, thanks for the opportunity. The cap comes off with a very loud pfffttt noise and three seconds later I'm sucking suds in an attempt to keep beer off of those papers over there on my desk. Pours into the glass a hazy dark brown with more than 1/2 a glass of light tan soap bubbles. Smells of roast and chocolate with lots of caramel, light aromas of pitted dark fruit, and a hint of wet dog. Taste is roasty chocolate and caramel with a little bit of dark fruit and some cardboard like flavors in there as well. Medium body with an overabundance of carbonation and a bubbly oily chalky mouthfeel. This doesn't taste half bad, but the over carbonation ruined the mouthfeel and the touch of oxidation doesn't help either. I did open this straight out of the refrigerator too.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 00:05:38 | More by johnnnniee

whartontallboy

New York

3/5  rDev -12.8%

01-02-2012 21:59:11 | More by whartontallboy