Pours very dark brown, looks dark brown to black in the glass. Quite good intensity in the aroma, especially per style: maltiness with roasted malts notes of coffee and lighter chocolate, also a bit of ashy character, a not too timid dry floral/earthy hops suggestion. Taste notes follow the aroma closely. A bit of sweet malty base, perhaps with a hint of toffee, but very restrained per style with bitter/roasted notes (again slightly ashy) taking a bit of edge. A quite dry (again, especially per sytle), bitter edging finish, with floral hops notes. Quite light in body, low to medium, relatively fizzy carbonation; pretty lively carbo for a mild, a quite easy mouthfeel on the overall, but lacking the smoothness/softness i'd expect. So: perhaps this could have scored a tad higher if it was labeled as a stout/porter, because that's what it is (and i'd say an ok/average one).

Pours a not too attractive opaque brown with a medium sized off-white, slightly yellowish head; quite good retention, though not much lacing. Pretty good intensity and complexity in the aroma: a deep malty base with well integrated caramel and shortcrust pastry notes, plus hints of honey and brown sugar. Vivid spiciness (anise upfront, clove too), a hint of licorice and red fruits. Taste notes follow the aroma quite closely, with a slight hint of not too clean earthiness. Good intensity as the smell suggested, so-so in terms of taste definition and tidiness (though indeed quite typically belgian at that). Quite some sweetness in both taste and aftertaste, but overall well attenuated and never over the top; feels actually in good balance. Medium or slightly above medium bodied, average carbonation (a bit less carbonated than usual per style i guess), resulting in a relatively easygoing per style mouthfeel, though the beer still has enough of a slow sipper character. Overall: very much recognizable as a belgian dark/dubbel, but also quite peculiar, and definitely nailed in the overall balance.

Relatively pale golden with the slightest bit of haziness to it. Gets a medium sized white head that shows good enough retention and nice lacing. Average intensity in the aroma: delicate cerealy, slightly crackery malts base with a hint of honey sweetness, relatively dominant (but kind of delicate/mild) hoppiness, with peach perhaps taking an edge, tangerine, floral notes, the slightest resinous hint on the back of things. A clean and well integrated aroma. Taste notes follow the aroma closely: again, average intensity and a quite clean profile. Light to medium sweetness, quite some bitterness for an english pale, not much for an ipa, depending how you want to look at it. Feels quite refreshing anyway. Quite light bodied, average carbonation; quite easily drinkable, decently lively. Overall: as mentioned, somewhere in the middle of english pale ale and ipa; a well made and pleasantly refreshing drinker, perhaps not as impressive as other beers in their portfolio.

Pours very dark brown, looks practically black in the glass though it shows reddish hints through light. Almost doesn't get any head and it disappears almost instantly, maybe a bit disappointing even for the abv. Medium or slightly above medium intensity in the aroma: soft dark chocolate notes taking the main stage, a clear and quite nitid dark fruits note (with blackcurrant obviously most noticeable, but there's a bit more complexity to it), perhaps a hint of milk coffee. Feels like a quite soft aroma, but i feel like there's some kind of dry suggestion on the back of things. Taste notes follow the aroma pretty closely, again with quite good intensity; there's a bit more balance between soft dark chocolate and fruity notes and a general kind of flavour-free sweetish/soft suggestion on the back things. Quite strong sweetness, with a sweetish edge in the mouth but also a balanced, quite dry and slightly astringent finish that still shows a blackcurrant reminescence. A bit of dark malts acidity and alcohol warmth also show up. Quite dense bodied with pretty light carbonation; semi-full (maybe a little less than expected for the abv) with a hint of silkiness. Overall: more or less as good as the standard version to me; the blackcurrant contribution feels very "natural" (meaning it doesn't have that artificial/unbound feeling that some flavoured stouts have) and pleasant, but the roasted malts character becomes a bit too subdued.

Pours very dark brown; doesn't seem to be hazy with nice-looking reddish hints if seen through light. Small to medium sized yellowish/light brownish head, not very compact but still shows good enough persistence. Pretty nice intensity in the aroma with dark bread notes taking the main stage, with a quite evident dose of classic rye-like contribution (something in the middle of crispness and spiciness). Perhaps a hint of roasted malts notes with a bit of coffee, maybe a licorice hint. A good dose of hoppiness too, though still on the back in the overall balance, with a herbal touch and some distant hints of citric hops (tangerine?). Quite good intensity as mentioned, also pleasantly clean. Taste notes follow the aroma closely, with complement notes (coffee, citricness) a bit more clearly discernible. Still shows nice intensity and a pleasantly clean feel. Sweetness and bitterness are both fairly strong for the abv but in very good balance in both taste and aftertaste. Leaves a hint of rye like spiciness in the aftertaste. Body is medium to slightly below medium, with low to medium, quite finely crispy carbonation; quite smooth and easy to drink, though there's a hint of fullness. Overall: another very good one from Pohjala.

Maybe not as dark as estonian winter nights, but still quite close to pitch black. Forms very little head, yellowish/brownish, disappears almost immediately, maybe a bit disappointing even for the high abv. Quite potent and straightforward aroma: malty notes with strong but slightly soft-feeling dark chocolate, clean espresso coffee notes, a hint of sweetish fruitiness (fruit cake), a far from timid quite dry hoppy note, though there's maybe a greenish/balsamic hint to it. Taste shows quite some boldness in both sweetness and bitterness, but with good overall balance. Roasted malty notes as per aroma, again with a pleasantly soft (but far from pastry) dark chocolate feeling that takes a slight edge. A bit of caramelly and fruity notes on the sweet side, a pretty dry and pleasantly clean hoppy finish. The slightest hint of alcohol burn is perceptible, enough to give a plesant warming feel but never overwhelming. Clean and well balanced in the overall feeling, quite strong in taste intensity as well (perhaps a bit less than the smell suggested). Quite dense in body, low to medium, quite delicate carbonation; sort of a very "naked" mouthfeel; not bad at all, flavours are clean and nitid, though i was perhaps expecting a bit more fullness/creaminess. A very good, very well made baltic porter, though somehow it couldn't reach the "impressive" grade in my eyes.

Pours a pretty murky and quite unattractive dark copper to light brown. Average sized, off-white/brownish head shows good enough retention and lacing. Pretty good intensity in the aroma with a far from restrained caramelly malts base, fruity notes of grapefruit plus other citric fruits that have more of a jam-like character to them (orange most noticeable), a pretty vivid piney/resinous and slight spicy/peppery background. Pretty intense aroma as mentioned, feels nicely fresh but not 100% well integrated. Taste notes follow the aroma closely. The beer feels nicely vivid and fresh but there are some significant flaws to me: there's both strong sweetness and bitterness but they are not well integrated, alcohol burn is quite perceptible and actually a bit too much for 8.2%, plus the beer feels generally a little unpolished/scarcely defined despite good taste intensity. Medium to dense body with average, quite dense-feeling carbonation; feels overall a bit heavier than most imperial ipas. Overall: basically an imperial red ipa, and a not too polished or well crafted one.