Baltika #6 Porter

Baltika #6 Porter.

7 % ABV.  16 IBU. Baltika Breweries, Russian Federation. 

Working in retail keeps one's head out of the beer geek bubble, the kind you can easily find yourself in if you only ever associate with the like-minded, in person, or especially online. Here's an example. The other day, someone asked what Russian beers we had, and I only had one, the beer I am about to drink. "Oh, only the numbair seex?" she said in my terrible imitation of her accent. "Not the whan or the nein?" "We had them before, I let her know, and they all sold through, except this porter, Baltika #6. Saddened, they left with no Russian beers to buy. Why on Earth didn't they want the far superior Baltic porter rather than those awful, awful lagers? 

You guys know how to read my sarcasm, right? Tell me you do.

This will be the first Russian beer to enter the Nib. But, over on BeerAdvocate.com, it seems that I reviewed 12 beers from the Russian Federation between 2003 and 2005. I should point out the selection of craft beers both national and local was abysmal during that time, in this place, and I bought everything I could find. I rated the Baltika #1 a 1.95, a whopping 37% below the average. I was not kind to European/Asian light lagers then. The #9 received a 1.74 from me, an astonishing 38.9% lower than the average score. And as for the Baltic Porter, #6, I granted it a grade of 4.35, an amazing 19.2 % higher than the norm. I just love those Baltic Porters. 

So, now I will revisit this Baltika #6 and later see what I thought of it when I reviewed it first back in February of 2003. 

Dark brown, fully opaque, large brownish head, soon to slip in size. 

In the nose: roasty, malty, slightly sweet, minor hops. Caramel notes, with a bit of cocoa. 

In the mouth: Smooth, rich, tasty. Medium-bodied, malt-forward, just the barest bitterness. A very passable porter, though it could use more body and depth. Perhaps it's only the 212th ranked Baltic Porter on BeerAdvocate for a reason. But for $3 a bottle, I find it easy-drinking and enjoyable. (Probably not worthy of a 4.35 rank, though.)

And here were my brief notes, from my early, less-wordy days: Color is dark as dark can be, beneath a big, bubbly, crackling tan head. Aroma is full of cocoa, nuts, and sweet candyish flavors. Medium body, light in texture, but really tasty, rich, satisfying. The ABV is 7%, but I didn't feel it in the least. Wait a minute...okay, now I do! Very tasty, and a welcome surprise, an excellent porter, an enjoyable beer!

Вкус «Балтики 6» — глубокий и гармоничный, с выраженной горечью, дополненный насыщенным тёмным цветом. Аромат «Балтики 6» — карамельный, с тонкой шоколадной ноткой. При производстве «Балтики 6» используются светлый, карамельный и жжёный солод, а также элитные сорта хмеля и специальные штаммы дрожжей.

This traditional dark beer is brewed according to old English recipes. The elite hops, special yeast, purest water and high skill of the brewers are a guarantee of the popularity of the Baltika Porter. Baltika Breweries makes this beer using the best kinds of dark and pale malt.