Flying Dog Baltic Porter with Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t most looking forward to this pairing from Flying Dog and Otterbein’s when the Holiday Collection first arrived. I’m a huge fan of baltic porters and, well, who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies? The roastiness of the porter and the sweet cocoa that dominates the cookie really are no-brainers to go with one another. It’s a natural combination that hits all of the right marks.
The cookies fill the immediate vicinity with a wonderful, nostalgic aroma when first removed from their packaging. Just like the previous dessert treats from Otterbein’s, the chocolate chip cookies are thin and crisp, providing an airy texture with an good amount of chocolate to accompany the sweet dough. I could eat a large number of these things.
The porter lives up to expectations, pouring a dark cola brown in color with a dense cap of beige foam that showed good staying power. It’s got that telltale baltic porter tang on the nose with a decent roast and soft anise joining in. A good amount of roastiness and a bready backbone do a nice job of supporting the medium-bodied brew. The 8.4% ABV porter ends in a lightly drying finish that lasts for a good long while.
These two products go hand-in-hand — neither contradicts the other, only offering its backing in accentuating the good of both. The baltic porter just goes so well with the cookies in a seamless orchestration of bready, roasty, chocolatey goodness. The roast meets the dough with a solid balance as the sweetness lingers for a while after each sip.
Chocolate and porters/stouts will always make for a solid pairing and that’s exactly what’s going on with Otterbein’s cookies and Flying Dog’s Baltic Porter. The extra little twinge of anise the brewery adds to the mix puts this duo over the top, providing an excellent excuse to have another bite and sip. Just as in the past two years, Flying Dog has come up with some excellent pairings, some easily hitting classic flavors while others challenging expectations. I already can’t wait to see what the two companies come up with for next year.
This is a review of a promotional sample.