Apr 20, 2018

Hardywood Bourbon Barrel Baltic Sunrise

About a month ago, I reviewed a bottle of Hardywood’s Baltic Sunrise. I absolutely loved the beer and stated that I needed to find the bourbon barrel aged variant. Well, as you can guess by the title of this review, I found a bottle — actually a few bottles, but that’s beside the point. Now, barrel aging doesn’t always improve a beer or change it that much to make it feel better, but this is a case where a great beer does, in fact, come out that much more amazing.

Everything I loved about the original Baltic Sunrise is still present. The coffee, that earthy roast, the robustness of the base beer are all still intact and shine wonderfully throughout this experience. The barrel aging as only added to all of that with decadently smooth Bourbon, soft wood notes and a touch of vanilla. All of these new traits work in unison to compliment the original Baltic porter, not distract from what first entered the barrel. It’s hard to find fault in this beer and its unified flavor profile.

I loved the original Baltic Sunrise. Hardywood has kept everything about that beer full on display here as that barrel maturation adds just the right amount of welcome Bourbony warmth and comfort. This is an outstanding beer and showcases the brewery’s expertise. Everything within this porter just works, accompanying one another to a satisfying conclusion. It made for the perfect sipper on a cold March evening.