Hello everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be drinking the Victory Baltic Thunder produced by the Victory Brewing Company located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

I’ve always liked the Porter style, so I’m hoping this one stands up to some of the others that I’ve had.

From the website, victorybeer.com, we find this bit of information concerning the Baltic Thunder.

Truly a worldly beer. Baltic Thunder represents the Baltic Porter style admirably. Exhibiting the enticing, toffee roast of the British porter that originated the style in the 18th century, and the soothing, subtle fruit nuance of contemporary brews that flourish from Helsinki to Vilnius today, this dark lager honors the Baltic god of thunder. Created by an inspired collaboration of brewers and tempered with a touch of turmoil, Baltic Thunder rolls on to bring you enchanting light as the darkness fades.

Time for a pour.

This brew comes in a 22 oz. bomber and it has an ABV of 8.5%.

It poured a deep brown to deep burgundy color with some burnt orange highlights around the edges.  The head was off white and kind of small, but the texture was rather creamy and smooth.  The retention time was not great and the lacing was slight to say the least.

The nose brought forth a decent tone of roasted malt.  Toasted breads and grain mostly.  A nice toffee sweetness combined with some fruity fig, which in turn made the aroma smell very similar to a Fig Newton bar.  Just a little touch of chocolate was accounted for and only a smidgen of coffee bean was found as well.  Overall, not bad on the bouquet though.

The taste released more of that toffee sweetness.  Definitely more of the roasted malts and grains, although the fig seemed quite relaxed in the taste as compared to the smell.  It was relatively bitter, however the chocolate wasn’t all that pronounced.  I also notice some “day old” coffee flavors too.  Toward the end I began to notice a relish of burnt wood, earth and chalk.  There seemed to be a lot going on with the flavor, yet nothing seemed to be harmonized all that well.  I would pick up on aspects of each component with every sip, but nothing remained consistent.  It could have just been me.  Who knows?

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Dry, somewhat chalky, but mostly smooth.  The carbonation seemed about right.  A touch of warmth was felt from the alcohol and a good dose of flavor was left behind on the palate after each sip.

Well.  This beer was ok.  I wouldn’t necessarily say that it was the best Baltic Porter I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t the worst either.  It just didn’t seem to be balanced real well and the aromas and flavors were not as rich and robust as some of this style can be.  The drinkability was passable and I would have no problem drinking it again, however I don’t know that this would be the first Baltic Porter that would come to mind when asked for my favorite.  That’s not saying that you wouldn’t love it if you were to try it though.  This is just my inexperienced take.  So, pick up the Victory Baltic Thunder and see what you think.  I would be interested in hearing your opinion.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.55 out of 5
Grade:  B