Reviews
WexiLahti
@ Piwne Mosty3 years ago
4.4
Day #19 of Advent Calendar. The label coronates this beer as "Plum Smoked Imperial Baltic Porter Bourbon Barrel Aged". Sounds perv enough to seal the weekend.
The beer is murky, bright black. Shy carbonation avoids to be in the limelight and kicks discreetly out a modest chocolatey lacing that descends hastily to the underworld. The still surface is dead like a graveyard.
I can guess even without sniffing the beer what it's going to offer: smoked... Bourbon... Baltic Porter... Let's see how my guessing goes! Smoke is obvious, I can't miss it. It's like campfire with a smoked ham aroma. Bourbon steps up as well. It's an interesting combination to enjoy smoke and Bourbon at the same time. Smoked malt creeps in the shadows while the oaky feature is oppressed. Brown sugar tries to dodge being identified but fails. Plum, however, is certainly not there.
Did I say plum is not there? Hell no! I mean yes! Smoked plum is the first element that I get on my tastebuds. The plummy side fades rushedly away and allows Bourbon to enter the cathedral of the living dead. Smoke gains strength and reveals a bit of the soaked barrel to the taste receptors to stare. Dark malt, surely smoked, raw cacao powder, brown sugar and a sigh of dark chocolate leave their fingerprints on the package. And yes! The plum is back! Moderate but detectable. I can even pick a whisper of vanilla which I anticipated in the very beginning because of Bourbon. Now I'm getting it! Alcohol is noticeable but doesn't really taste there. Quite super! 🖤🖤
The body is full but not huge. The ABV of 12 % could feel even bigger. This is all good, decent at least. The finish is a bit short-lived albeit pretty similar to upfront. The aftertaste is a brown girl in the ring and looks like a sugar in a plum.
The mouthfeel is full, smoky, nicely alcoholic, barrel aged and intriguingly warming. It's also somewhat heavy, intense, medium-thick and heady. Deep but not particularly layered. Still lovely! 🖤🖤