Wednesday, January 4, 2012

New Old Lompac Batch 69 Baltic Porter





















The Dirt
To say I love Baltic porters would be an understatement. It's one of those styles that are not very prevalent, so I'll go out of my way to get a taste if I know a brewery makes one. During a brewery tour trip to Portland I had a Baltic porter on tap at the 5th Quad, which is one of New Old Lompac's brewpubs. It was liquid gold. Unfortunately they did not have a bottle, but I found this guy in a liquor store before I left.

The first that came to mind when I took a sip was that this is BIG time flavor. The front end is heavy dark chocolate - like 90% cacao kind of stuff. This eases away to a slightly spicy back half and roasty after taste. It's massive character from start to end, and should be enjoyed slowly. I would say it's a great dessert beer, but it's so much more than that. However, it'll probably spoil your dinner...especially leftovers.

Worth it?
Yes. As I'm writing this, I wish I could go out and buy one. Because it's likely only available in Portland, it's a bit pricy when including airfare and hotel. But you should be going to Portland anyway. So again, yes. Simply freak'n delicious from the moment it hits your tongue to even minutes after your last sip.

The Final Word