Lew has written much about his enthusiasm for the creation of this beer from the Victory Brewing Co. of eastern Pennsylvania but I only got the chance to open one about a year after it hit the market. David was way more on top of the news. This is a decidedly good brew. And, like a lot of Baltic porters, it is dangerously good as the 8.5% is well hidden under the milk chocolate, espresso and a dash of licorice that slips so easily past the chiclets that morphs until, by the finish, there is a vein of dark bitter chocolate and a bit of twiggy mint hop that just stays. Maybe a little prune in there, too. Not a roasty bomb at all - very much in line with what an Okocim porter from Poland says to those who have ears to hear.
Plenty of BAer respect.
Comments
Randy - January 14, 2009 10:52 AM
Ahh Victory Brewing, almost assured heaven in a bottle. There are some places that just get it right and they are one of them. Baltic Thunder was one that I had not had the opportunity to try as it rarely made its way to Rochester. However last summer on my trip to Cape May, NJ I found a bottle in the local liquor store (btw: NJ liquor laws are horrid). Anyway I pounced on it. As luck would have it the tail end of a hurricane was coming through that night and I spent the night inside our tiny cabin enjoying this beer!
As a side note we stayed at a campground that had tiny cabins but also had wireless internet. I know, it's no longer camping at that point but let me tell you the ability to stream cartoons from a website that night was heaven when having two small children to entertain during 50mph winds and torrential rain.
GS - January 16, 2009 2:43 PM
Sounds like a good brew. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the info! Happy drinking..