Alaskan Baltic Porter (Pilot Series) - Alaskan Brewing Co.

elgiacomo

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle, 2008 vintage. Big thanks to Jason for this unexpected gift! Served cellar temp in a New Belgium Globe/Snifter.

Pours thin dark brown with a one finger light brown head that leaves just some temporary spots of lacing but holds a good foamy cap.

Aroma is strong dark fruits, cherries, raisins, figs, plums, good dose of chocolate, some vanilla, bourbon, coffee, caramel, smoke and burley tobacco round thingd out but it's mostly chocolate and dark fruit. Some alcohol heat on the nose as well. Great overall aroma strength.

I can simplify the flavor as pure liquid Raisinettes or chocolate-covered cherries. And I love me some Raisinettes and chocolate covered cherries. Serious chocolate, dark fruits, raisins, cherries and the like, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, a bit of coffee, not much in the way of hops and virtually NO alcohol. Couple years did it good in that regard, surprised to see this at almost 10% ABV! Fairly sweet lingering finish.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, very creamy and velvety, low carbonation. Feels full in the mouth but not too full in the belly which is what a proper Baltic Porter should be.

One of the better examples of the style that I've had. Always high on my wish list but never thought I'd get a chance to try this. Quite a treat.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 01:15:55 | More by elgiacomo

brentk56

North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A billowing head settles in, stout-like, on the fudge brown liquid and does a nice job lacing the glass

Smell: Chocolate-covered cherries, vanilla and oak, all underpinned by a brown sugary base malt

Taste: Sweet, booze-soaked chocolate-covered cherries, with a growing harsh, ashy character that really dominates the middle; the vanilla appears, after the swallow, along with more chocolate in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, with moderate carbonation, and a harsh, boozy burn in the finish

Overall: If only the beer tasted as good as it smells; I found this to be an adventurous failure, as the adjuncts dominate rather than supplement the beer

Thanks, kemoarps, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 00:29:01 | More by brentk56

itracy63

Alaska

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

06-02-2013 01:51:38 | More by itracy63

DarthGuitarHero

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-29-2013 18:55:32 | More by DarthGuitarHero

steevbr

Illinois

5/5  rDev +19.9%

05-24-2013 20:18:38 | More by steevbr

jdkitchi

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-19-2013 03:49:38 | More by jdkitchi

Laklimell

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-14-2013 07:10:12 | More by Laklimell

tclang

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-12-2013 20:51:21 | More by tclang

pperez38

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

05-02-2013 10:20:28 | More by pperez38

Kelp

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

04-27-2013 09:02:14 | More by Kelp

pkalix

California

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

04-27-2013 00:33:49 | More by pkalix

PStriedl

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

04-26-2013 22:39:54 | More by PStriedl

magictacosinus

California

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Included in the first monthly "Beermageddon Night" with several people. Review is from my notes. A thousand thanks to Erik for sharing this with us. Poured into a teku glass from a 22oz bomber.

Pours a darkened, black color with brownish streaks throughout the rims of the glass. Having just had the 2011 Abyss vintage beforehand, it was nice to see another great imperial stout follow it up with a similar tint and generous 2 finger of head. Color is an off-khaki at the top, with several streaks of bubbles gliding upwards. Lacing is decent, although not too prevalent. Has a viscous nature that was very similar to their Smoked Porter I had a while back. Looks very hearty and inviting.

The aroma is filled with a surprising sugar sweetness and roasted character, almost to the point of being between milk and dark chocolate, yet not much of either. There's a tinge of coffee here, as well as some vanilla and sugar, but it's really the semi-dark chocolate sensation that shines here. It's not super sweet, however, and luckily there's a bready, cracked barley flavor that backs it up, as well as a light floral hop character that's pretty masked underneath. Either the malts are really the one providing the extra bittered touch, or the hops may be a little old at this point. Booziness is pretty present, even with the extra sugar on top, but isn't too distracting or anything. Given the fact that this was the final beer we had this night, it's only fitting that this would be treated as our dessert. Satisfying overall.

The flavor continues more of the same, but really goes even more out of its way to emphasize the chocolate-y goodness within. As a fan of chocolate decadence of all kinds, yet not the largest porter drinker, this really ends up being more enjoyable to me by focusing less on a smokey, coffee character, and far more on a caramelized, cocoa nib centered flavor. In one sense, this is a lot like eating a milk-chocolate fudge brownie filled with vanilla. Plums and figs abound. It's really the extra alcohol doing its job here beyond the large malt chunks, and as a result, allows it to be more silky and smoothened out than I would have expected. It's actually never sweet enough, and therefore pretty easy to drink. However, I wouldn't be able to say if I could have a whole bottle on my own.

I gotta say, Alaskans really know how to make big yet very comforting beers when they want too! This is definitely a sweet, sugar filled porter, but I've never really had too many Baltic Porters in the past and this definitely peaked my interest. The are a good alternative to the heavy character of various imperial stouts, but definitely I'd like to find more with extra balance going on. This is still very recommended from me, and a must for porter and chocolate fans.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 21:20:05 | More by magictacosinus

davey101

Connecticut

4.41/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage, 22 oz bomber into a teku glass. Long time want here!

A - Pours a dark, dark brown body. Two fingers of khaki foam dissipates into a thin edging. Some solid lacing, pretty typical looking porter.

S - Lots of roast up front followed by some dark fruits and ripe cherries. On the end is smooth oak and vanilla and some dark brown sugar. Touch of alcohol. Each ingredient is present but not gimmicky and just accents the base beer. This is a thing of beauty! Those cherries though, so subtle and just perfect with the right balance of sweet and spice.

T - Bitter roasted malts and some ash and char. The cherries are bit more "dark fruit" than the nose here. Light oak and vanilla. Not as sweet as the nose as it returns to char and ash on the finish. Somewhat syrupy but a creamy carbonation helps to cut through that.

O - Absolutely loved the aroma on this. Maybe its due to the few months it has on it but the taste was not as impressive. Still, an extremely solid beer that lived up to my personal hype. The ingredients are just perfect here. This and their Smoked Porter are just wildly impressive beers to me.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 03:14:04 | More by davey101

zenithberwyn

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

04-18-2013 06:33:43 | More by zenithberwyn

Strix

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Very dark reddish brown, good initial head but fades completely with no lacing.

Sweet malty smell, some cherry and vanilla.

Sweet malt, vanilla, oak, cherry, sugar, smoke. Nice flavors, but the sweetness runs away with it eventually.

Mouthfeel thick, somewhat syrupy.

Nice, but a bit cloying towards the end. Sort of a like 3/4 doppelbock and 1/4 cherry coke.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 01:18:32 | More by Strix

bluckbeyes

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%

04-13-2013 02:40:34 | More by bluckbeyes

Rand_ale_Thor

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

04-08-2013 17:36:19 | More by Rand_ale_Thor

sloelco

California

4/5  rDev -4.1%

04-04-2013 03:51:56 | More by sloelco

SeanSweeney

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

04-04-2013 01:28:51 | More by SeanSweeney

zipper8650

New York

4.46/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Abbreviated review tonight:
Snifter, pours nice and dark with little to no head, really like the nose on it, very cherry forward. The vanilla and oak come through nice as well. Mouthfeel is nice for a porter, not as thin as I expected. Initially I get a nice balance with the vanilla and oak, finished well with the cherry. I was on a brief Baltic porter kick and this is exceptionally good, well balanced really good beer.
Skol

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 01:07:21 | More by zipper8650

ncketchum

Wisconsin

4.39/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2012 vintage, served in an imperial pint

A - pours a deep brown with a chocolate brown head, leaves a nice thin layer of head

S - smells malty, a bit spicy, some sweet fruits, actually I get a whiff of french toast in the end

T - chocolate, malt, the sweet of the brown sugar and the tart of the cherries give a ton of complexity to this one

M - smooth, thick, not a whole lot of carbonation, not much alcohol

O - This is probably my favorite beer from Alaskan to date. Very complex, drinkable. I'm certainly going to try and pick up a couple more bottles of this one

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 00:26:27 | More by ncketchum

Twan22

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

03-30-2013 01:42:25 | More by Twan22

bca115

California

3.25/5  rDev -22.1%

03-25-2013 04:00:03 | More by bca115

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.1%

03-25-2013 00:02:20 | More by Sparky44