Wow. Time definitely does tell, and the story it tells is exquisite. The clean and light porter allows notes of cocoa to shine through while being tempered with oaky tannins and smooth vanilla. 4.5/5 stars.
Let me tell you about Baltic-style porters. It’s an incredible style of beer, full of all the rich flavors you expect from a stout or porter with a twist. The porters made in the Baltic style (technically only Baltic Porters if brewed in the Baltic region of Europe) have a bit of the lager in them! Typically made with either lager yeast, like Fort George’s example here, or cold-fermented with ale yeast, they have a cleaner and crisper feel than a standard warm-fermented dark ale. As I’ve written about previously, that means they take time and patience to make well.
Fort George went above and beyond even the call of typical lagering. They fermented and conditioned this beer directly in bourbon barrels! They gave it time to really soak up all the flavors of the oak and bourbon early on in the process, then cold-conditioned it again in steel to really get it dry and clean. Just, wow. Even though I jumped on the chance to drink this one fairly soon after it was packaged, I think some lucky person who is able to hold onto this beer for another six months or a year will be richly rewarded. I’m imagining rich dried figs and smooth vanilla, with the cocoa/coffee and oak fading and rounding out. Mmm.
For someone not familiar with this style, or aware of how it was crafted, the beer comes across as a bit lacking. It doesn’t have the robust flavors of a porter or stout ale, tending more towards round and subtle. It isn’t as thick as its cousins, either. Lagering tends to remove more of the body that is typical in a big malty dark brew. It won’t have the fruity flavors lended by the yeast esters in a warm-fermented beer either. Add the fact that it was conditioned in liquor barrels, which can thin out the texture of a beer, and a person could be downright disappointed. But, we aren’t disappointed, are we? Because lagered beers give back something new after they take away the expected characteristics of an ale. They give us clarity to taste each of the components in the beer. They give us lightness to appreciate the drink to the last drop (and then go back for more!). They allow us to appreciate the craft of the maker, because there is nowhere to hide a mistake.
So, the next time you see a dark beer with the word “Baltic” nearby, you’ll know that you’re in for a treat. Take a chance, and walk on the lager side.
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A Beer a Day 