Baltika #6 Porter - Baltika Breweries

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

Aleks_P

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -24%

06-17-2013 01:05:13 | More by Aleks_P

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

06-15-2013 19:10:46 | More by TheBeeraholic

scotorum

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +10.5%

06-14-2013 17:57:12 | More by scotorum

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

06-13-2013 02:07:30 | More by ummswimmin

EOC

Mexico

4/5  rDev +10.5%

06-12-2013 22:16:22 | More by EOC

SteveTheDog

California

3.74/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I first had all the Baltikas when I was travelling in Russia and the numbering system was great since we didn't speak much Russian. I distinctly remember liking #'s 6 & 9 and a friend found the 6 and brought it over to relive the experience. It was as good as I remember and nice to know it actually was a porter since I was just guessing. I like the color and aroma - I get a few hits of cocoa and coffee in the taste and I think the finish is nice and smooth and even a little thick - I pleasantly try to suck some of the flavor off the sides of my mouth. I like this one and I think it's my favorite out of Russia.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 19:55:38 | More by SteveTheDog

jezras

New York

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

06-08-2013 23:51:22 | More by jezras

gwiedman1

New York

4.5/5  rDev +24.3%

06-02-2013 19:24:39 | More by gwiedman1

SonOfKyuss

Virginia

3/5  rDev -17.1%

06-02-2013 13:21:11 | More by SonOfKyuss

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