Yesterday I headed out to Beer Revolution for a Meet the Brewers night with brewers from Santa Cruz. One of the brewers present was Uncommon, who, similar to 21st Amendment, have long been known as one of the newer breweries that cans instead of bottles. Because of this, I took the chance to try their Baltic Porter while it was available on tap!

Out of the tap, this one came out as a dark coffee black with a lightly tinted head that held together tightly. There’s a touch of licorice in the nose, and some vanilla that balances for a mildly sweet aroma. The vanilla is also prominent in the taste, which balances the smoky characteristics, and contributes to the overall balance with the extra herbal punch that comes from licorice, as well as the scarce hints of anise. The viscosity that gives the beer a thick mouth feel, which is softened by the vanilla making the beer smooth on the palate as it goes down easy. Add to this the light carbonation, light hop character and hints of alcohol, and this becomes a really pleasant porter. This porter should be good to use when making a beer float, but for pairing it would go best with steak, chocolate or berries.

This porter has all the right flavors popping out while remaining really well balanced. It’s a must try especially if you’re into the style, but go ahead and look for it even if you aren’t. I, for one, was pleasantly surprised and this might just become my new default porter.

Photo credit: brewedforthought.com

• Tag: baltic porter, beer review, craft beer, porter, uncommon brewers