From tap at De Kromme Haring, Utrecht. Big sweet caramel malt and chocolate aroma, with roast. Moderate to medium sweet and mild bitter. Above medium body. Not the usual Baltic tobacco, but a really nice choco and roasted malt aroma.

Lively Fella..

Bottle from the Grumpy Goat, Reading. Deep mahogany-brown; the head vanished almost immediately. Light to moderate fizz and a slightly oily mouthfeel. Lots of chocolate up front then a light blackberry note. A little smoke and ash and then a tingle of peppery spicein the finish. Very nice, I like this.

Bottle from Cobbett's, Dorking. Aroma is roasty, coffee, a yeasty edge. Dark opaque cola brown. Foamy beige head rapidly retreats. Initial light sweet malty yeasty creaminess (it's brief) before coffee, dark chocolate and liquorice kick in. Gains bitterness but also molasses. Dies that make sense and in the greater schemes of things does that matter? Medium-heavy bodied. Oily. Average carbonation. Long somewhat astringent finish. Slips down in a nice enough manner.

330ml bottle. Jet black colour with average to huge, thick, frothy to creamy, moderately lasting, minimally lacing, beige to tan head. Roasty, chocolately, dark malty, slightly mineral-spicy and minimally doughy yeasty as well as earthy-veggie aroma, notes of dark chocolate, cold coffee, a touch of oyster, seashell, pumpernickel, a touch of beetroot, herring salad, earthy raspberry aspects as well. Taste is rather dry, roasty, chocolately, dark malty, minimally bready and doughy yeasty, minimally earthy-veggie as well, notes of dark chocolate, coffee, pumpernickel, a touch of oyster, seashell, also a touch of caramel with subtle sweetness, light fruity hoppy overtones with a touch of blueberry, earthy raspberry aspects, very cautious hints of beetroot, herring salad again; lingering, minimally mineral finish, well hidden alcohol. Watery texture, smooth and soft, minimally cloying, simultaneously slightly dry palate, medium, mildly prickly, somehow dispersive carbonation. Quite complex and manifold, thereby rather light body, some flavours balance on the edge between interesting and inappropriate - good, pleasurable, nevertheless not really stirring.

Baltic porter with rye, part of Kromme Haring's Cambrian series, referring to the Cambrian explosion of more than half a billion years ago, when the basic body plans of the animal kingdom as we know it today came into being - along with many others that were short-lived, hence the 'experimental' idea of this series. At Mout in Groningen. Fine-bubbled, dense but gradually opening, pale greyish white head on a misty, very dark chestnut brown beer, near black, with ruby red glow. Aroma of chestnut, molasses, hard caramel, dried fig, unsugared chewing gum, coffee grounds, prunes, touch damp kitchen cloth. Cleanly and sleekly fruity onset, a rounded malt fruitiness reminiscent of fig and dried banana, medium carbonated, moderately sweet; full, slick body, layers of hard-caramelly, walnutty and somewhat brown-bready malts, bittersweet but further bittered by a herbal, bit leafy hoppiness. Chicory-like roasted bitterness appears in the finish as well, highlighted by whisky-like, glowing alcohol which nevertheless remains firmly into place. Well-structured, malt-forward, clean example of the style, but lacking a bit in roasted bitterness - Kromme Haring, still one of Holland's foremost craft breweries, seems to forget that Baltic porter originated as a bottom-fermented equivalent to (historical) imperial stout, ending up with something more reminiscent of a dark German Doppelbock. Enjoyed it nonetheless.

33cl bottle. A very dark brown beer with a beige lacing. Aroma of strong dark caramelized malt, hazelnut, chocolate. Taste of hazelnut, strong caramelized malt, chocolate, cookies. Good!

Cremig malziger Beginn mit Aromen von Espresso. Eher wenig Bitterschokolade, kernig, vollmundig, im Mittelteil ist der Alkohol zeitweilig erkennbar. Milde Röstnoten, langer malziger Abgang. 10/11/12/11/11/11