September 2005: Allegedly brewed according to an old Russian porter recipe, with kvas/kwas as one of the ingredients! Brewed by Brauerei Locher "im Auftrag der BALIK Räucherei im Toggenberg AG", website www.balik.com . The Räucherei had even supplied the smoked salmon I had with this beer (330 ml bottle) at the Seafood Bar at Stansted Airport, London (Norwegian salmon, smoked in Switzerland, sold in England, eaten by a Norwegian - a well-traveled fish!) According to the BALIK website the beer should be served cool at 12 degrees C, but I had it served fridge cold. While the coldness must have taken away some of the flavour details, it probably made the beer more drinkable with seafood, taking the edge off the heavy sweetness. The beer has a brown colour with a slight haziness, low head. Aroma and flavour are more like a port wine than a "normal" beer. Very sweet, warming mouthfeel (no surprise at 11% ABV!), spicy, a bit alcoholic, but interesting. Decent hops in the finish.

Danke an minutemat. Alkoholischer, leicht oxidierter Beginn. Karamellig malzig, weich, süffig herb. die Karamellnoten bleiben konstant, der Alkohol im Hintergrund. Keine Röstnoten, die Süße bliebt in annehmbaren Rahmen. Untypisch aber nett. 10/8/9/8/7/8

Bottle. Creamy white good mostly lasting head. Dark yellow colour!. Moderate malty and hoppy aroma. moderate bitter vinius flavor. Average moderate bitter finish. Creamy palate. This is a barley wine not a baltic porter.

33cl bottle shared by Arve_Christian (thanks!) Pours slightly hazy amber with an off-white head. Smell a bit strange. Aroma of caramel, malt, sour wood with hints of smoke, fruits and some basement notes. Alcohol is quite well integrated for a 11% beer. Quite sweet with some wooden sourness and a bit harsh bitterness in the finish. Quite strange, but interesting enough. (2013-06-05)

Bottle @ Papsø-Grand-Tasting, September 2010. Pours clear amber with a small creamy white head. Perfumey and spicy flavor with a lot of hot alcohol. Medium bodied. ES Lager . . Not Baltic Porter!

Bottle 330ml.Clear medium amber orange color with a small to average, frothy - fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, white head. Aroma is moderate malty, old malt, vintage, light toasted - caramel. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and light to moderate bitter with a average to long duration, antique furniture, tobacco, alcohol. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20100911]

Thanks Cellar. Clear golden with a medium beige head. Sweet aroma with toasted malt, caramel and overripe fruits. Flavor was sweet with toasted malt, caramel, overripe fruits and toffee. Finished sweet.

33 cL bottle. Pours clear and golden orange with no head. Aroma is roasted malt and slight oxidised. Dark breadish and overripe fruity. Sweet dense caramelish malty. Sticky. Dark breadish to roasted caramel. Sweet and with a touch of alcohol.

Appearance: Chestnut brown, clear. Little bit of fizzy off-white head. Aroma: Vinous, ripe fruit. Apricot? Slight alcohol. Taste: Vinous again. Warming, some alcohol and ripe fruit. Info: 330ml bottle, 8/5-2009