Baltic Porter: A Strong Beer With the Fierceness of the Baltic

Baltic porter is generally regarded as a strong beer from England. The origin of porter beer was in Finland, Russia, and Poland. But it later became popular majorly in the hands of working-classic British people. This Baltic style porter beer is said to have the robust and strong flavors of the Baltic sea in every sip.

This type of porter has a good kick of hop bitterness and is quite strong. Read this article to know more.

Baltic Porter Stats

Baltic Porter Review

Most English porter beers are ales. Still, a Baltic porter beer is a lager. This gives it a lot of distinct qualities that make it stand out. Here are a few features and authentic characteristics that make a Baltic porter stand out from its other English counterpart:

– Appearance

The color of a Baltic porter ranges from a dark molten metal brown hue to a nearly black feel. Though it is extremely dark in color, it is never completely black. When poured, it has quite a thick foamy head with a slightly tanned color. The foam head is firm and retains well. The beer is very clear with no haze, but the color makes the clarity hard to judge.

– Aroma

Baltic style porters usually boast of a very complex aroma. You can also smell nuts, caramel, coffee, toffee, and some roasted essence. The later notes of smell also have some chocolate and molasses to them. There is no extra sour smell and the hops’ smell is not easily detectable.

It can also have a varied fruit flavor in some mixes like black currents, berries, cherries, raisins, prunes, plums. The dark and heavy flavors can taste burnt because of all the dark ingredients.

Baltic Porter is a dark porter which is cold-fermented and brewed with lager yeast. It is high in alcohol percentage and has a thick head with complex aroma notes.

– Mouthfeel

The beer has a full-bodied mouthfeel. Medium to medium-high carbonation is also present, giving it a fizzy effect. It has a very smooth finish in the mouth with the warm after effect of strong alcohol. The carbonation also gives rise to a medium amount of bubbles.

– Flavor

A Baltic porter typically has a very clean yeast-heavy taste profile. The malts used in each beer also stand out. From caramel to chocolate, an endless number of dark flavors can be found in the rich malty taste of baltic beers.

This has a mildly dry finish in the mouth with slight notes of toffee and licorice. The hoppiness is balanced out with the heavy malty flavor making the hop effect really low. There can also be some spicy flavor, depending on the type of hop used. There is also a slight fruit flavor from the esters used during brewing.

Overall, the Baltic porter was originally meant for the working class, this porter has found its way into some of the best American brewpubs and breweries. It is a fizzy drink with an overall dark flavor profile. Thus, it is not meant for your weekday light drinking.

– Food Pairings

Baltic style beers are very strong and generally paired with wholesome food options.

Some of the options you can try are:

• A one-pot recipe for any whole poultry like a duck, goose, or chicken roast.
• This also works well with spicy food due to its heavy alcohol level. The strong alcohol cuts down the hotness of the spicy food and refreshes the taste buds. You can pair it with spicy food like Asian, Mexican or Jamaican cuisine.
• You can also have it with cheese like brie or gouda.
• A Baltic beer also pairs with bitter-sweet desserts like chocolate cakes and caramel puddings. You can even try it with pies or coffee-based sweet dishes.

Ingredients

This beer has a heavy use of yeast and exotic malts. Here are the ingredients that a typical Baltic porter uses to brew:

• The malts used can vary between Munich, Vienna, Pilsner, Crystal, Special “B”, Carafa Special II and Chocolate. The Baltic porter yeast always stands out among all ingredients giving the beer an added depth.
• Earlier, breweries used the top-fermenting ale yeast. At present, brewers use authentic Baltic porter yeast or lager yeast to brew the Baltic porter. The hops in this beer vary from brewer to brewer, but nothing too overpowering can be used.

Nutrition Facts

Here is what your favorite Baltic Porter offers:

History

Baltic porter originated in the Baltic sea region of Europe. It was a strong, “working-class” beer that was later popularised in Britain by laborers and workers.

A Baltic porter beer was created as a response to high-on-hop pale ales from Britain. The authentic sweet brown beer in the English land was modified in its own ways to form the present Baltic porter. The robust nature of this beer made it a favorite among the street workers and dock laborers. Later it saw many newer versions in pubs and breweries.

The Baltic porter yeast was once top-fermenting ale yeast fermented in warm temperatures. However, when this beer became popular in craft breweries, brewers started using a lot of bottom-fermenting lager yeast. This led to the present taste of lager beer that is popularly found on the market.

This beer was once popularly known as a branched-out version of a stout beer because of its similar ingredients and look. Over the past few decades and many new versions later, it has its present form.

The perfect Baltic beers take more than six months to mature and gain their true taste. Thus, the drink took time to become popular.

FAQ

– What’s the difference between Baltic and Regular Porter?

Baltic Porter differs from Regular Porter in its origin and brewing style. Baltic Porters have a higher ABV, smoother taste, and are brewed using lager yeast.

– What Are Culinary Recipes With Baltic Porter?

One can make endless food recipes with Baltic beers. Here are a recommended few recipes that you must try for a great culinary experience:

• Baltic Porter Soaked Tiramisu

– Ingredients

• Two whole bottles of any Baltic porter of your choice
• One-half cup of extra strong coffee
• One-half cup of demerara sugar
• One-half cup of milk
• One tablespoon of salt
• Seven egg yolks
• Two and one-third cup of mascarpone cheese
• One cup of heavy cream
• Vanilla as per your taste
• 48 pieces of ladyfinger biscuits
• Little cocoa powder for garnishing.

– Process

Make a meringue cream with egg whites, sugar, and milk. Beat till it forms stiff peaks. Then add the mascarpone cheese and heavy cream to this mixture and beat slightly.

In a different bowl, mix the coffee and Baltic porter. Soak the ladyfingers in this mixture, line in a tray, add the cream mixture and repeat the process. Pour the rest of the beer from above. Top with cream and garnish with cocoa powder.

– Where Are The Best Baltic Porter Brewers?

The authentic Baltic porter has seen many different versions across pubs and breweries. But here is a carefully curated list of a few brews that you must try out.

• Public Enemy Baltic Porter from Dust Bowl Brewing Company (Turlock, CA)
• Komes Porter Baltycki from Browar Fortuna (Gmina Miloslaw, Poland)
• Sybirian Silk from La Cumbre Brewing Company (Albuquerque, NM)
• Framinghammer from Jack’s Abby Brewing Company (Framingham, MA)
• Mistrozowski Porter from Browar Okocim S.A. – Carlsberg
• Cobaltic Porter from Bottle Logic Brewing Company (Anaheim, CA)

Final Takeaway

The Baltic Porter is a beer that originated in Europe and has a very strong alcohol-infused flavor. It is strong in taste and has a unique yeast and malt-based taste.

Here are a few things you need to remember about this beer:

• The Baltic Porter features a dark molten metal-like color with high alcohol content.
• The beer is not very bitter but has a heavy malty flavor.
• It can be paired with cheese, meat, and desserts.
• This beer can stay on the shelf for a long time, unlike most other beers.
• The beer has a very subtle fruity and berry-like taste.

This robust beer has undergone many changes over the past few decades and finally became popular in the American craft beer market.

Get your hands on this now!