2017 Advent Beer 19: Sound Brewing's Baltic Porter

Imagine, if you can, my surprise at discovering that Baltic porters, unlike their British forebears, are lagers and not ales! Apparently brewers in the Baltic states liked the idea of the porter, but only had access to lager yeasts. They brewed them longer and stronger, ending up with what is essentially a lagered version of the Imperial stout.

You can smell the roasted malts and coffee right away, and this beer pours a very dark black, despite being not nearly as thick as stouts tend to be.

The coffee and malt lead the way, but there are traces of smoke and licorice in the finish which are, in a word, delightful. The mouthfeel is a bit think but only in comparing it to beers of similar opacity, which may not be entirely fair. Not as sweet as many RIS's, this Baltic Porter is a bit of a warmer too, at 7.3% ABV. A tremendous beer from Washington state, overall.

A tasty beer that comes with a lesson about brewing; hard to ask for more, really!