Abita Bourbon Street Baltic Porter
The first product that I enjoyed from Abita’s Bourbon Street line of beers was this tasty imperial stout. I liked that big beer so much, I decided to give the company’s Bourbon Street Baltic Porter a shot even though its “best by” date was a couple of months away from the January purchase date — that seems a bit quick, so this much be an older bottle that just happened to show up on shelves a week or so prior to my buying it.
In the end, however, this 9.25% ABV porter has more than its age to deal with. Now, I like a good amount of barrel influence on a beer, but with this particular brew, the base style takes a seat way back in the bus, allowing the bourbon, wood and vanilla to overly dominate the palate. There’s also an “old” trait to the beer — no cardboard per se, but it certainly gives off the impression that it’s a bit long in the tooth. Baltic Porters should improve a bit with age, so I’m assuming the characteristic that I am encountering is derived from the barrel aging.
Abita Bourbon Street Baltic Porter isn’t a bad beer in the end. I knowing picked up an older bottle (based on that “best by” date), but there are a few things that I personally would like to see more from the beer. It’s a bit thinner than expected and the bourbon influence it simply too strong for this brew. But if that’s your thing, then pick up a bottle and check it out for yourself.