Dark Depths - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Dark, Fierce And Blustery. Across the cold and brackish waters of the Baltic, the English porter was transformed from a mild ale to a dark and complex lager that confounds definition. Immersed in dark, roasted malts and a bold citrus hop character, these big and contrasting flavors are brought together with the smoothness of a lager for a brew that's bold, mysterious, and full of flavor." Brewed in the style of a Baltic Porter. Available in 12 oz. bottles as part of the Samuel Adams Hopology variety pack.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a snifter. Served north of º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a thick creamy tan-white head over a deep mahogany brown body. Plenty of carbonation. Head retention is very good and lacing is thin but strong. Very creamy and pleasing surface cover. 4

(Smell) Citrusy hop bouquet pairs with a lightly roasted caramel and sweet brown malt profile. Licorice and molasses are certainly there, but still the aroma is mild for a baltic porter, not as full bodied as I expected. A mild herbal but more citrusy bright hop-heavy selection was made here, a bit odd for the style. Beyond the bright hop profile, potency is rather shallow, seems a bit lackluster in aroma overall. 3.25

(Taste) Flavor is a bit more revealing than the aroma, with a mild semi-sweet malt profile led by clean caramel malts and licorice followed by a faint tart acidity and a mildly spicy, somewhat fruity hop profile. Nonetheless, assigning the title "Baltic" to this IPA may have been a bit of an overstatement in regards to my expectations for the depth of the style. The beer itself is very drinkable but shallow on depth. I expected a bit more depth to this ale but in keeping with the IPA tradition found that it is a decent beer on its own, despite being nothing similar to my expectations. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Creamy mild carbonation is decent for the style. Body is light for the style, medium overall. Alcohol presence is mild+. I liked the mild carbonation level, it was just faint enough to pair well with the beer and let some of the hop character take the front. 4.5

(Overall) My impressions of a Baltic Porter still stand firm despite that this beer in particular deviates sharply from the style, going for a much more liberally hop-forward and drinkable beer. This is certainly one of the most session-worthy Baltic beers I have had and while I enjoyed the flavor, found the style a bit misleading on its own. I would rather see this labeled as a brown IPA, but there probably isn't as big a market for that. 3.75

Boston Beer Company's
Samuel Adams Dark Depths Baltic IPA
3.63/5.00

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 18:04:50 | More by Jadjunk

Justinn13

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -19.1%

06-16-2013 17:15:39 | More by Justinn13

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Medium dark chestnut; huge frothy tan head, long lasting; good lacing

Aroma: Caramel; roasted grains; dried fruit; smells great; slightly smoky

Taste: Initial hit of roasted grains and hop bitterness; malty and juicy too; slightly bitter in the mid, but well balanced with sweetness; finishes semi-sweet with warming alcohol notes; yum

Remarks: Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; disregard those scores

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 12:19:22 | More by IchLiebeBier

GrindFatherBob

New York

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

06-13-2013 18:25:26 | More by GrindFatherBob

DCH

New York

4/5  rDev +7.8%

06-13-2013 01:13:42 | More by DCH

Curtis

Utah

3.99/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great job blending sweet malt and ipa. Mouthfeel is somewhere in the middle of both styles. Malt flavor is wonderful.. could have used a bit more aroma. This one will be even better in the fall/winter but quite good on summer nights. Overall a very good beer.. almost like a hoppier version ofanderson valley's boont amber....

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 05:50:55 | More by Curtis

mrchrisray

New York

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

06-11-2013 00:10:28 | More by mrchrisray

pcsnyder

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.8%

06-07-2013 23:29:40 | More by pcsnyder

sevenshubby

California

3.25/5  rDev -12.4%

06-06-2013 05:05:44 | More by sevenshubby

mcdsports

Texas

4/5  rDev +7.8%

06-06-2013 04:13:57 | More by mcdsports

pinnser

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

06-05-2013 23:41:04 | More by pinnser

stella77artois

New York

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

06-04-2013 03:17:07 | More by stella77artois

ssjkyle

Nebraska

4/5  rDev +7.8%

06-04-2013 02:00:09 | More by ssjkyle

tjsmith910

Florida

3/5  rDev -19.1%

06-04-2013 00:59:05 | More by tjsmith910

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -25.9%

06-03-2013 12:25:19 | More by ShanePB

MikeyJ777

New York

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%

06-01-2013 01:52:30 | More by MikeyJ777

nosavingsaccount

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%

05-31-2013 03:03:45 | More by nosavingsaccount

Johnnyv310

New York

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

05-30-2013 05:06:05 | More by Johnnyv310

MaltyMates

New York

4/5  rDev +7.8%

05-30-2013 00:02:41 | More by MaltyMates

pathman

Ohio

4/5  rDev +7.8%

05-29-2013 23:25:30 | More by pathman

tbryan5

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +7.8%

05-29-2013 01:31:46 | More by tbryan5

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.89/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: This is a tough one. As an IPA, it is extremely unique in color. But let's be real...this is really more of a light porter. I'm going to split the difference on this one.

Smell: Some coffee and pine. Refreshing, but too subdued.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Subtle coffee with a pine finish. Similarly to the smell, it's too subdued, but I enjoy how unique it is for an IPA. Clean coffee mouthfeel with a lager finish. Definitely my favorite part of this beer.

Overall Drinkability: One of the better coffee IPAs...actually it's probably the only one.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 00:42:32 | More by tjsdomer2

knuxdude

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.8%

05-27-2013 23:18:49 | More by knuxdude

fredmugs

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

05-27-2013 22:00:26 | More by fredmugs

jrpapajcik

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

05-27-2013 21:17:34 | More by jrpapajcik