I was in a porter mood the last time I visited Cork & Fork in Gainesville, VA. One of the brews I picked up was this Carlsburg distributed product called D. Carnegie Stark Porter. I’d never heard of the beer and was quite intrigued. So intrigued, I suppose, that I completely glossed over the large type on top of the label specifying its 2006 bottling date.
All I know about the beer is that it’s a Baltic porter (which I love) and it’s a vintage brew. Good enough for me.
There is one thing I should point out regarding this beer. I’m not sure if it’s the aging of the beer or the fact that I had had a bottle of Aventinus a couple days prior to this, but the Stark Porter’s characteristics kept reminding me of the weizenbock. I suppose it had something to do with the spice notes that the porter exhibits.
Appearance
The Stark Porter pours a dark brown in color with a large light mocha colored head that faded slowly.
Aroma
I’m picking up a decent hit of dark fruits, some cocoa, roasted malt and spices (clove and coriander).
Taste
The first thing I noticed is that this is a smooth, very drinkable Baltic porter that’s quite tasty. It’s a bit on the thin side mouthfeel-wise, but that could be due to the vintage. The roasted malt is the dominate characteristic in there with dark fruits and the spices bringing the beers flavor to a well balanced profile. As stated in the intro, for some reason, this thing reminded me of the spices and fruits found in Aventinus Weizenbock. Strange, I know but that kept creeping into my head.
Overall
This was an excellent brew to say the least. Personally, I’d like a little more body to my Baltic porter, but the slightly thinner nature is to be expected with an older beer. I will be going back and getting a few more bottles (might even do so on the way home today). Perhaps the Aventinus impression will be gone the next time I have it.
Rating: 4/5
