Southampton Imperial Baltic Porter
I was really looking forward to this beer, as I've been a fan of Baltic Porters since my first Perkuno's Hammer (*snif*) and been looking for a suitable replacement. While this wasn't it, it was certainly an enjoyable brew. The smell was a nice pure dark malt aroma, no hops to be found. Color was solid dark dark reddish brown like a porter ought to be. There wasn't much head though, and it didn't last. The taste was a nice, sweet mix of licorice and molasses but not much else. I was expecting chocolate, or some fruit perhaps. The mouthfeel was really nice though, a chewy smoothness with fine carbonation. No bitterness to speak of made it very easy to drink. I just wasn't impressed enough with the flavor profile to justify the $5 a bottle. The search continues.