Karl Strauss Parrot In A Palm Tree Holiday Baltic Porter - Karl Strauss Brewing Company

Halcyondays

California

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours brown with a light white head, spots of lace.

S: Oaky, malt (chocolate), some vinous notes.

T: Dark chocolate predominately with nice barrel integration into the overall flavour. Not as big or as interesting as I think a BA Baltic Porter should, but still a nice tasting brew.

M: Smooth, full-bodied, creamy, soft carbonation.

D: A beer I liked, but had nothing to offer to keep my attention. Worth a try though on-tap I'd say.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2010 03:16:30 | More by Halcyondays

SanDiegoBeerLove

California

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark Brown with lighter highlights and a finger and half of Tan head that faded quick. Very little lacing as the wateriness of the beer precludes it.

S - Smells of Cherry, Cocoa, Brown Sugar, and slight Bourbon

T - Tastes of Cherry, Brown Sugar, Alcohol, Red Wine, and slight Port.

M - Carbonation is good, Bitterness is a little much, and it is a little too sweet.

D - This beer is not that drinkable but most porters are not. A great beer to have with some Ice Cream.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 06:13:56 | More by SanDiegoBeerLove

SDHoffers

California

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pleasantly surprised by this one. I tasted it in the bottle first and it seemed a little flat but I'm glad we put it on tap. Deep brown in color. Looks a little more like a strong ale than a baltic porter.Plenty of aroma coming from the off white head. Has plenty of lacing and the booze is noticeable from the drying on the glass. The sweetness is not overpowering and a great surprise from a beer that you'd expect to be really hot from the smell. I would suggest this one on tap instead of the bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2010 22:45:46 | More by SDHoffers

tjfinkle

California

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Came across this bottle and decided to give it a try as I have been impressed with several of Karl's beers lately. Poured the 22 oz bomber into my Bruery tulip glass. The pour was a very dark brown with a couple inches of soft tan head that is retained for a couple of minutes. When I was pouring the beer, even before directly smelling the beer I could pick up some sweet amber malts. When I followed this up with an actual sniff the beer smelled quite light, with some light malts and some chocolate flavors.

The taste however was much deeper than the smell. The malts are much more obvious than on the nose, with some dark fruit and chocolaty notes and a nice slightly hoppy finish with a taste of vanilla. I have to admit I was hoping for a little more woody port flavors from this. I am not sure if it needed more time in the barrels or just a higher portion of aged beer in the blend, but still a very tasty beer.

The mouthfeel is quite decent for a non bottle conditioned beer, with adequate carbonation that keeps it nicely balanced. Overall a very tasty beer and I would recommend it to a friend. Not necessarily my favorite Karl Strauss beer, but a very solid Baltic Porter.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 03:18:43 | More by tjfinkle

crvcac

California

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Dark brown with a tan, thick creamy head.

Aroma: Wonderful bouquet of dark fruits, hints of expresso and light dark chocolate. Slight spice

Taste: A lot is going on here. Boasts a complex mixture of dark fruits, roasted coffee like flavors (minus the astringency), touch of chocolate, oakiness from the barrel aging? Wonderful mixture for a winter warmer.

Mouthfeel: Nice and smooth. The abv is just right for a Baltic porter. Just the right kick to bring on that nice winter
Coat we all seek from a good winter warmer.

Drinkability: Highly quaffable. Pour me another please.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 17:15:24 | More by crvcac

Eriktheipaman

California

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Small Bar 11-28-10

It poured pretty much black with a slightly tan head. Left nice lacing through out.

Smell was light of a sweet roasty scent.

The mouthfeel on the beer was unlike anything Ive had. To me it tasted almost chalky or of powdered cocoa.

The taste was more of a fruity sweet porter that was fairly light.

Ill probably buy it again once I see it in a bottle just so I cant taste the comparison to draft.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2010 01:47:40 | More by Eriktheipaman

hoptrip619

California

4.13/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked this up from KnB cellars the other day. The packaging looked sharp and the copy made the beer sound incredible.

A: Pours deep dark brown with an espresso-like head that dissipates quickly.

S: Aroma is almost entirely chocolate and dark fruits. I didn't get much espresso and the oak is very subtle.

T: Much like the aroma, the flavor is primarily chocolate and dark fruits (plums, raisins). There is a very subtle port flavor that comes through in the finish. I'd like to see more of a port character.

M: Medium with a velvety texture. Not as heavy as I expected.

D: Overall this s a nice beer, I'm glad I picked up a few extras.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 17:47:52 | More by hoptrip619

WeeObese

California

3.8/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this bottle tonight. The beer is ebony in color, with a nice mocha colored head. The beer smells of light chocolate and sweet coffee aromas, it has a small amount of alcohol and a very faint vinous/dark fuit aroma as well. I was hoping this beer had a much larger barrel/port aroma. The beer has a nice toastiness, chocolate, some light dark fruit/vinous flavors. There is some alcohol warmth on the finish as well. It is slightly sweet but not cloying at all. There isn't really any roast flavors, but the chocolate-like flavors fill that void. The best part of this beers flavor is in the finish when all the flavors express themselves. Again, disappointed that there isn't more port/barrel flavor. The mouthfeel is a little light, but it is also easy to drink. This is a nice winter beer and is a great beer to share with a friend.

If they up the roast malt a little and let the port show greater, this could be a really good beer, it's just missing a few things.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 04:55:13 | More by WeeObese

lou91

California

2.33/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Wow can't believe that I'm the first to review this beer. On paper this looked like a great new beer for the holidays. Sadly, it was far from great. The baltic porter was more like a black pale ale with the port adding little. As it warms it did not get any better - still very thin and strangely sweet. Other brewers should try this combo and see if it works but this one does not. I paid 8 bucks and that was plenty.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2010 06:12:59 | More by lou91