Crooked Stave Coffee Baltic Porter
What the brewers say
“Through conditioning our Baltic porter with freshly roasted coffee beans, we strive for a balanced coffee character, adding dark sugar, plums, and cocoa notes to the robust porter base.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Strong coffee vies for attention with the roasted malt. Coffee wins.”
Flavor: “Very rich toast, chocolate, and coffee. Moderately sweet. The hops just balance the sweetness. Slight green-pepper back note. Finishes a touch on the sweet side. Malt holds on awhile. Coffee bitterness comes through on the finish, but given the lingering sweetness, it balances well.”
Overall: “The underlying beer is perhaps a bit heavy, but the coffee additions add complexity and yield an interesting beer overall.”