Victory Brewing - Baltic Thunder

I am not happy with the weather today.  It rolled in with waves of black clouds...brought that eery pseudo-darkness that seems completely unnatural in the middle of the afternoon.  Then came the downpour, combined with a strong wind that completely de-leaved all the trees around my house.  So, now I have a yard full of leaves that I will have the pleasure of raking this weekend.  Mother Nature can be a real bitch sometimes.

Tonight I'll be drinking a Baltic Thunder porter from Victory Brewing in Downington, PA.  This is an imperial porter with lots of EU influence - brewed with german lager yeast, European whole flower hops, and a German malt base.  There is plenty of thunder behind it with 8.5% alcohol.  Puns are fun.

This brew comes in a 22oz bottle with a label that includes a picture of the Baltic god of thunder, which looks more like the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz.  Seriously, look at that photo and tell me that isn't the cowardly lion!  The beer is a dark, ruby-black hue that lets just a bit of light through it.  In fact, when you hold it up to the light, that's when the ruby-red really comes through.  The aroma is rich and sweet, with green apples and sweet grapes.  Also bitter coffee beans, toffee and sweet molasses come through.  The taste starts off with loads of sweet malts - semi-sweet chocolate seems to be the primary player within that big malt backbone.  Also some burnt wood, charcoal, with some gritty roasted coffee making its way through towards the finish.  Maybe a hint of raisin in there but I really have to search for it.  The finish is gritty, with an almost-powdery chocolate finish.  The alcohol is noticeable, but pleasant, it adds a nice warmth to the beer.

Overall Rating:  This was a great porter!  More chocolate than I expected, but it worked well with the other flavors of the beer.  As far as 'dessert' beers go, this beer will go near the top of my favorites.  A-

Summit - Great Northern Porter

Summit Brewing Week continues with another style that is an Autumn favorite of mine.  Porters, especially ones that are on the bolder, almost smokier side of the spectrum are perfect for an evening outside in the cool Autumn breeze.  The smooth roasty and chocolaty flavors that come together in this style warm the body throughout the Fall and on through the Winter.

Summit, clearly understanding of this styles deliciousness in the cold Winter months, named this brew after the Northern majestic railway which stretched from St. Paul (Summits current location) to Seattle.  I'm sure the workers on this railroad would have loved to go back to their lodge/pub/backdoor gambling ring and tossed back a few of these.  The profile of this porter is distinctly American with a higher than average hop profile and an edge towards the roastier side of the porter spectrum according to Summit's website.

Barely a hint of light sneaks through my pint when I hold it up to the light.  This puppy is dark!  A lighter than expected foam lingers around as a lacing.  The roasty and earthy hops are easily discernible upon my first whiff.  Slight hints of sweet chocolate come through as well.  Roast, coffee and semi-sweet chocolate create a bulk of the flavors.  Earthy hop bitterness finishes off this bold, roasty porter.

Overall - Another treat to have in the Autumn sampler.  Well rounded and full of flavor.  This isn't a porter that people who don't like stouts would like.  It has many of the same characteristics as one. The differences are Summit's porter has a lighter body and a larger hop profile than what you would typically find in your standard stout.  But for somebody like myself who loves me some bold porter action this one is right up my alley.  Along with the Oktoberfest the Great Northern Porter also comes in a 12 pack as the Autumn season draws near.