Carnegie "Stark" Porter
THE REVIEW REVUE OF SEVERAL MUCH BALLYHOOED BALTIC PORTERS
Review 2 of 5
- Product Reviewed: Stark Porter
- Brewed By: D. Carnegie & Co.; Sweden
- Form Reviewed: Bottle; 5.5% ABV
- Style: Baltic Porter
- Originally posted to Usenet: January 14, 2000
- Added to the Tasting Notebook: January 18, 2000
Initial Impressions:
This is the second of the five Baltic porters that I reviewed for the purposes of sharing my impressions. Oh, and for the sheer pleasure of the experience. The first, Saku, was posted to rfdb on Wednesday, January 12. Following Carnegie will be Sinebrychoff, Okocim, and Zywiec. If I've missed any that render this list less than comprehensive, please tell me and I'll seek the little buggers out.
The Carnegie pours a near-opaque black, with a few hints of light managing their way through the beer. Carnegie is not as carbonated as the Saku.
Nose:
A light roastiness and maltiness comprises the nose of this beer.
Flavor:
Carnegie comes across with more of an expected porter profile than the Saku. It opens malty, which slides into a textured roastiness. Carnegie then moves on to coffee notes, and finishes with a balancing bitterness.
Final Analysis:
I found the Carnegie to be not as interesting as the Saku, which I surmise contradicts the experience of several other rfdb contributors. The Saku simply had more layers of flavor, was a more nuanced beer. This is somewhat surprising in that I gather that the Carnegie is the only true ale in the flight; the chance for some sort of fruitiness is enhanced. Nevertheless, the Carnegie is a very good beer. Thus far, I'm impressed with these Baltic porters.
Rating:
(Very Good on my 5-star scale)
