Baltika #6 Porter - Baltika Breweries

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue VIII:

Three fingers of light brown head crackle to a thick lacing that holds to the glass well. Nearly black with garnet on the edges, dark and inviting. Aromas of cocoa powder, vague cinnamon, light-roasted coffee and a hint of dried plums. Nice smoothness with a semi-slick medium body. Pleasant malt sweetness gives off suggestions of brown sugar and chocolate. Beneath the sweetness is a slight charred grain flavor with some dark fruitiness from the alcohol. Modest hopping lets the malt really shine. The alcohol does have some sharpness to it with a quick bite of hop bitterness that fades quickly. Finishes with a burnt sugar sweetness and spicy alcohol flare.

Not half bad, it sits in the middle of the pack. A little complex, yet a whole bottle is almost too much; share it with a friend, and sip. All of that said, it is certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 20:46:57 | More by BeerAdvocate

Jason

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Presentation: 16.9 oz bottle with a freshness date on the back label, a little blurb about the beer on the back to.

Appearance: Fast foam to thin ring of lace, the snap and crakle of the head was too quick for me. A shade or two lighter than black, it pours a little like motor oil in the mug.

Smell: Vague chocolate, major steely caramel and lots of sweetness in the aroma. A bit too sweet for my liking.

Taste & Mouthfeel: A palatable creamy smoothness within the full body. Lots of sweet malt, on the dark side of course with rich caramel donning a metallic flavour. Slight burnt and chocolate flavours middle to end, hops are docile with a one way bitterness. Finishes with a light cloying sweetness. The hidden alcohol provides a dark fruitiness which is the most interesting thing about the beer.

Notes: The alcohol is a bit deceiving at 7.0% abv, as I said before a bit too sweet for me which took away from the drinkablity. A small glass of this with a chocolate dessert would be nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2003 02:20:30 | More by Jason

kvnstfrd

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

05-23-2013 14:09:48 | More by kvnstfrd

Jade

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

05-23-2013 00:04:18 | More by Jade

zenithberwyn

California

4/5  rDev +10.5%

05-18-2013 08:00:01 | More by zenithberwyn

Kerrie

Michigan

3/5  rDev -17.1%

04-21-2013 23:09:08 | More by Kerrie

RobinLee

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

04-20-2013 04:16:04 | More by RobinLee

FLima

Brazil

3.61/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Black Color with lots and lots of thick caramel head with good retention and leaving laces. Good presentation card.
Grainy aroma with hints of toasted malts, dark fruits and earthy hops.
Sweet grains and toasted malts flavor with a good deal of earthy and floral hops. Hints of condiments, chocolate and tobacco. Dry and astringent aftertaste with a lingering sweetness.
I would recommend it (as opposed to some others from the Baltika family), careful not to compare this to turbinated US Baltic porters or similar Brewdogs.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 21:44:56 | More by FLima

Nightwish1094

Texas

4/5  rDev +10.5%

04-11-2013 06:11:26 | More by Nightwish1094

bizzy54

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

04-08-2013 21:04:08 | More by bizzy54

TheConnMan

Michigan

4/5  rDev +10.5%

04-07-2013 15:05:05 | More by TheConnMan

kjkinsey

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

04-06-2013 22:37:12 | More by kjkinsey

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.8/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a fairly opaque black color with a huge tan head that persists forever in fact it tried to escape from the bottle when I pried the cap off. The aroma is dark fruity with caramel and burnt sugars and a hint of chocolate with a touch of alcohol. Sweet grainy honey like pilsener malt surprisingly shines through. The flavor follow the aroma quite well. Sweet grainy pilsner with some dark and burnt sugars touched off with some chocolate and some sweet sugar coated dark fruits. Long lingering sweet finish with a touch of ethanol. Medium body with a sweet slick mouthfeel and a moderate level of carbonation. Not a bad porter, certainly not over the top flavored like some Americanized versions, but kind of nice with it's subtleties.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 23:17:48 | More by johnnnniee

harrymel

Washington

3.34/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 2 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Bottled 10NOV12
Best by 10NOV13

Dark near black with little foam at all - not attractive really. Smells of raisin, malt, cocoa, and some toasted malts, kinda sweet but I like it. Bread, rye, more plum than anything, some toasted malts, some tobacco and a touch of turbinado. Medium on thin with low carb and an off dry finish. Overall not bad, I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 07:15:59 | More by harrymel

Lare453

Florida

3/5  rDev -17.1%

03-22-2013 13:05:42 | More by Lare453

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -17.1%

03-14-2013 19:08:56 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

grittybrews

Washington

4/5  rDev +10.5%

03-14-2013 15:01:23 | More by grittybrews

spycow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

03-10-2013 23:48:32 | More by spycow

rale

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

03-09-2013 02:12:10 | More by rale

PatrickKlopfenstein

Iowa

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

03-06-2013 01:55:04 | More by PatrickKlopfenstein

StefanosG

Florida

3/5  rDev -17.1%

03-03-2013 00:40:40 | More by StefanosG

Danobold

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

02-28-2013 04:50:57 | More by Danobold

Therisse

California

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

02-26-2013 17:59:22 | More by Therisse

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3.66/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

This is our last beer from Baltika, but there are only two beers on the list. I am a big fan of their #9, a Euro pale lager. It has a high ABV and a nice sweet flavor, and is only $2.49 a bottle! But today we are drinking their baltic porter, the #6. I feel like I had had this before, but I will need to check my Untappd account. Regardless, I am hooked on dark/thick beers. I like to let these warm up a little bit, so I am excited to see how this tastes. However, baltic porters (not sure what makes them "baltic") usually have a metallic flavor at the end. Hopefully this one doesn't, but I won't hold my breath.

(Sorry, had to answer the door. My new Mizuno golf bag is here! I am getting all new Mizuno golf clubs and I am STOKED for this and the next delivery. The next delivery is… the clubs! I haven't opened the box yet, but I will. I want to record it for YouTube… the unveiling, if you will!)

Now I am excited. Let's drink.

In the Glass: The beer poured nice and thick from the bottle, and is pitch black in the glass. There are a lot of bubbles, though. In a porter, I usually don't expect to see a lot of carbonation. However, this one looks to be extremely carbonated at first. There isn't much lace, either. It's thin what is there. I wonder what this smells like…

Nose: This has a very earthy aroma… and I am getting a hint of that metallic aroma that I was talking about. Sheryl just said, "It smells like chocolate." I disagree. If it does, all I am getting from there is a hint of sweetness. What chocolate might be there is dark chocolate. More burnt sugars than anything. But that metal aroma keeps coming back. Maybe my mind is set on what a baltic porter is supposed to smell like. I will shut up… let's drink!

Flavor: Yeah, there is that metallic flavor I remember. I need to look up where the name baltic comes from. At least in regards to a beer. I am not saying this is bad, but the flavor is compromised. It tastes like it smells, which is rare for a good craft beer. Plus, this bottle traveled from Russia, so there's that! One thing I don't want a porter to be is drinkable… and this one is. It's too thin to be a porter.

Mouthfeel: This is actually quite nice. It is thing. Very thing. By it being thin, it makes the beer even that more drinkable. Not sure that is a good thing. I don't want to feel like I am tearing this beer apart… because I am not. I am just excited about my new golf bag and I am really thirsty! My pint is almost gone! My favorite part of this beer is the aftertaste. (The burp is actually nice, too. It brings those candied sugars back to the surface, and makes another sip even more desirable.)

Aftertaste: This is my favorite part of the beer. The chocolate flavors that Sheryl was talking about remind me of sugars and burnt sugars that remind me of an ice cream shop. Like the sugar cookies and the cones they make right there. Great, now I want ice cream! Speaking of ice cream, I bet this beer would make a great float. The beer is cheap, so maybe I will grab some ice cream on the way home tonight!

The beer is good, but not great. It is a daily drinking porter, and I would buy this again, but only for the price. It's a good example of baltic porter, but I don't have a ton of experience with these. Every brewing company makes a porter… but few make a baltic porter. Maybe this is a European thing. I will do some digging before we get to our next baltic porter. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 21:30:42 | More by rickyleepotts

muchloveforhops3

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

02-25-2013 20:11:17 | More by muchloveforhops3