BJCP Beer Styles Guidelines: 9C Baltic Porter
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I’m continuing my series of BJCP beer styles. The Beer Judge Certification Program sets out style guidelines for 120 beers and is used in competitions. It is useful for beer drinkers as it allows us to understand what may be in our glass. I am going to investigate all of the styles listed in the BJCP guidelines, so make sure you are following the Love Beer Learning socials to see when the next posts go live.
Today we are looking at Baltic Porter which sits in section 9 Strong European Beers and is 9C.
To read more of my posts on different BJCP styles check out these blog posts.
Baltic Porter – style history
The Baltic Porter is based on the English Porter and was developed after the imports of Imperial Stout from England to the Baltic region were blocked by Napoleon's continental blockade. Baltic brewers began to experiment and the colder climates meant that lager yeast worked really well. A Baltic Porter can actually be a lager. Sometimes it does use ale yeast but in the colder climates, the ale yeast did some different things. A Baltic Porter also has a higher ABV than an English Porter, much like an Imperial Stout, which is probably quite warming in the colder climates of the Baltic and Russian regions.
Baltic Porter – Vital Statistics
Colour: Dark red copper to very dark brown, but should not be black. 17 to 30 SRM
ABV: 6.5 to 9%.
IBU: 20 to 37
Serving Temperature: 12.7 to 13.8oC (55 to 57oF)
Serving Glass: Snifter or a classic nonic pint glass.
Full BJCP style guidelines for Baltic Porter can be found here on the BJCP website.
Baltic Porter Tasting – Braybrooke Baltic Porter
Baltic Porter from Braybrooke Beer Co
Braybrooke are an English brewery and they brew primarily lagers, so I thought their version would be a very good example. This version does have extra ingredients added - cocoa husks were added to the mash for extra chocolate flavour and espresso beans were added to add more coffee. Considering the style guidelines I thought the aroma was richly malty with molasses and lightly nutty with some liquorice. There was no hop character and there was a dried currant element from the fermentation. An extremely complex aroma.
The colour is reddish brown with good clarity when you hold it up to the light. It is a beautiful colour, and it has a persistent beige head. On flavour, I got liquorice straight away. There was a lot of dark roasted coffee and this must be from the espresso beans that were added. There was a nuttiness but it was quite clean with some dried fruit esters, and an alcohol warmth but no hop character as to be expected. I didn't find it full-bodied, it's probably medium to almost full-bodied. There was medium carbonation, which is to style and there was an alcohol warmth which is really good in this style.
Overall, I think the addition of coffee was really lovely in this beer. I didn't get much of the chocolate. I think the extra coffee has hidden the fermentation notes which can be really beautiful in a Baltic Porter. However, it's still very drinkable and really lovely.
To read about how to taste beer like a pro, check out my blog post on tasting here.
Baltic Porter Tasting – Heist Brew Co Don’t Let Me Die
Don’t Let Me Die Baltic Porter by Heist Brew Co
As with the Braybrooke, this beer had additional ingredients of Buckfast and blackberry puree. The aroma on this Baltic Porter was richly malty, I was getting dark bread crust, some bramble fruit from that blackberry puree that was added and some liquorice on the aroma. There was also a light nuttiness and some chocolate that I wasn't expecting. There was no hop character as expected.
On the colour, it's a very dark brown. I believe it is clear, but it's a bit too dark to see but it isn't murky. There is a persistent beige head but there is a slight red tinge to it, I think from the blackberry puree.
When tasting this Baltic Porter is really complex. There was like caramel, chocolate and blackberry. The blackberry gives real sweetness but it's still very clean and the flavours disappeared quickly making me want to drink some more. On the mouthfeel, this one is full but only has light carbonation. There is a hint of astringency but I think that balances out the sweetness from the blackberries. The beer has a touch of alcohol warmth, but I think this one doesn't drink it’s 6.5%
I think the Heist is my favourite of the two because it's got that blackberry character to it. I don't think it's necessarily exactly to style, but it's a very interesting beer.
If you'd like to learn a little bit more about how and why we judge beer, check out my blog post on how and why we judge beer here.
And if you’d like to learn more about beer styles, my beer membership The Beer Tent Society looks at a different beer style every month. Find out more about the membership here and come join me in The Beer Tent now.
