Victory Brewing Company Red Thunder Baltic Porter at 8.5% ABV (US$8.99 at Knightly Spirits Williamsburg, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-May-2016, reviewed 3-Aug-2016)
Appearance: clear amber-brown with one fat finger of rocky beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: vinous grape, coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla, dark fruit, woody. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (7/10) Medium-full body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming and lightly tart, tannic and drying vinous finish. (4/5)
I don’t think I’ve ever had anything quite like this before. It’s sweetish, like one would expect for a Baltic Porter, but the wine barrel ageing gives it a vinous tart character that cuts the sweetness and even makes the body seem a bit on the light side. I’d like to try the base (Baltic Thunder) for comparison, but there’s still a fairly strong coffee presence, particularly in the finish, that I think gives me a pretty good idea of where it started before the big barrel presence came to play. It’s not subtle, but it’s interesting, and that counts for a lot in my book. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
