REVIEW #1: No. 6 Porter (Baltika Breweries)

Poured into a tall and slender 'weizen' glass. The beer came out a dark burgundy colour bordering on black and showed decent head retention, the colour of which was just off-white. It has an aroma of plums and liquorice. On first sip an immediate cool malty sweetness almost gives the impression of a milk stout, which this beer clearly isn't, but it certainly has a creaminess to it. The taste is of rum n' raisin and burnt sugar, imparted from the dark malts. There's a nice balance to the beer thanks to the hops (which always play second fiddle to the malts in this style of ale) and in the finish, a dry alcoholic burn lingers in the back of the throat, revealing its potency in full. In short, a stunningly good porter that's very true to the style.

Baltika #6 Porter was first brewed (to an English recipe) in 1994 by Russia's largest brewer, Baltika, a company now assimilated into Carlsberg but which brews in St. Petersburg (the city was still known as Leningrad when the brewery was founded in 1990 and in the last days of communist rule). The beer is part of a series of 9 and all are curated by head brewer Irina Tlekhuray. This beer was judged best porter in the World Beer Awards 2009.

• MALTS: PALE, CARAMEL, black
• hops: ?
• ibu: ?
• abv: 7%

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