Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter

Smoked Baltic Porter is the sultry sister of a storied style. Brewed with traditional German malts and hops, this dark lager gets its special twist from a hefty addition of Bamberg smoked malt. This smoldering, medium-bodied lager is sure to please.

First Batch: 6.2% ABV

Last brewed in 2011, discontinued in 2012.

3.6

512 reviews

Denver, United States

Community reviews

3.4 Pours a pure opaque black/brown with a beige head. The smell is roasted malt, smoke and fruit. The taste is rosy, deep fruit, licorice ends a bit dry and smokey. Overly carbonated a bit rough.

3.0 19.03.2014, 0,65l bottle sampled @ BBGTC tasting: Big slightly fizzy-creamy longlasting head. Aroma is slightly neutral, dark malts, sour-ish smoked ham, grass, caramel, paper, broth, licorice. Taste is slightly sour-ish, dark malts, grass, sour dark fruits, caramel, weeds, leather, hints of licorice and smoked ham. Little bitterness, high carbonation. Fair enough, probably far away from it’s best since it’s overcarbonated.

3.5 Pours dark brown with a large and fluffy tan head. Aroma is smoke and dried meat. Also hints of wood, tar, liquorice and loads of malts. Taste is smokey, moderatetly sour and a lightly sweet finish. Very high levels of carbonation makes for a fizzy palate. Semi dry finish.

4.0 Ins Glas ergießt sich ein sehr dunkelbraunes fast schwarzes Bier mit bräunlicher Schaumkrone. Geruch sehr röstmalzig, rauchig, dunkle Schokolade, Kaffee. Geschmack sehr röstmalzig, bittere Schokoladig, Torf, Kaffee, dunkle reife Früchte.

3.8 Bottle - Vintage 2011 - Peat, smoke, dark fruit, molasses and roast malts. Jet black with a thin head. Pear, smoke, chocolate and dark fruit and malts.

3.2 2013-01-31. Very dark brown black body modest tan head. 3+ Aroma of smoke over sweet malt base. Flavour is similar, moderately smokey throughout, it grows in the latter stages. Average bodied palate, moderate carbonation. Decent take on it but not to my tastes. Bottle dated July 14 2011 shared by Blankboy

3.6 [My bottle (660ml) shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, jercraigs & mabel] Pours a very dark brown, almost black, with a small tan head. Aroma is quite smoky along with roasted malt and hints of coffee and chocolate. Flavour of roasted malt, light smoke, coffee and chocolate. Medium bodied. Not amazing, just pretty good.

3.4 January 31, 2014 - with blankboy, gregclow, jercraigs & mabel. 22oz bottle c/o blankboy. Clear deep brick red, smallish but lasting tan bubbly head. Mild aroma - grassy, light roast, a little coffee - not too sweet or boozy, but maybe a bit old. Taste has some definite cow barn funk to it, but not unpleasant - sweet roast malt balanced by a lactic/poopy character - no alcohol really. Average body, mild carbonation, a little peat/smoke in the finish, but it’s quite faded now. Okay.

3.7 Pours cola brown with a thin tan head. Aroma of smoke, coffee, and hint of chocolate. Coffee, cocoa flavor with hint of roasted malt and smoke at the back end. Decent smokiness to this beer. First batch bottle.

3.8 Botella de 65 cl en casa. Marzo de 2013. Sabores tostados y ahumados no muy acentuados, que junto con un cuerpo medio la hacen muy fácil de beber. La botella probada y se encontraba caducada de un mes, no se si esto influiría en el carácter final de la cerveza que en general resulto bastante suave sin muchos sobresaltos. Me quedo con el ligero gusto tostado y ahumado final. Que pena no poder disponer nuevamente de esta maravillosa marca, habrá que esperar mucho?????

3.5 Leicht süßer und würzig rauchiger Antrunk. Die Süße nimmt ab, ist aber weiterhin präsent. Malzig rauchig, süffig, gut. 13/11/11/11/13/11

3.7 Bottle at Zly Casy. Pours dark Brown with a light brown head. Smoky aroma. Some char and tar to the flavour but ultimately the smoke is light. I prefer it that way. There’s some roasted character but there isn’t really too much in common with a Baltic Porter. More focussed on smoke, roast and dryness than amped up sweetness and booze. Very nice either way.

3.5 Bottle@Home. Malts and cacao aroma. Opaque, beige head, good lace. Sweetish, light bitter, just a hint of smoke. Medium body. Expected more but not bad.

3.2 22oz bottle, purchased recently from the Dilly Cafe for $8. Bottled on July 14, 2011. Dark brown color, near black. Clear brown red on the edges. Thin light brown head. Just a few loose dots of lace. Medium to bigger body. Lighter, kind of biting carbonation. Sticky finish. Big sweet taste, lightly spicy. Moderate bitter, but the sweet is pronounced. Big toasty malts, some dark chocolate. Nice smoke, a nice smokey meatiness to this. A little sweet, but still a pretty solid smoked porter. It’s tolerable. I expected worse, with 2 years.

3.9 I like the head. Brown and creamy. Super dark.. Can't see thru it in the light. Not overwhelmingly smoky, great dark malt taste. The alcohol is hidden. I dig it.

3.8 From a 2011 bottle. Pours clear dark/medium brown with a creamy tan head. Tastes like smoked wood, coffee, chocolate. Cool complex flavor. Very good. Medium body and low carbonation. Smells like cool coffee beans and dark chocolate.

4.0 Bottle; July 2011 vintage. Pours deep, dark brown with frothy beige head. Aroma is roasted and chocolate malts, plums, figs, smoke, light coffee, and light earthy hops. Flavor is smooth, roast malts forward with some dark fruit esters, light chocolate, light smoke, and some woody notes; dry finish. Medium body and carbonation.

3.5 22oz bottle in a tulip. Pours black with a lacy, beige head. Aroma of smoked malts, some roasted malts, hints of chocolate and coffee, and some dough. Flavors blend well and all pretty smooth, maybe due to the age. Average texture. A pretty good beer.

3.6 (Bottle) Dark brown colour with hints of ruby. Frothy, beige head. Malty, roasted nose with notes of caramel, dried fruit, black rye bread, dark chocolate, smoke, a touch of tar and hints of ginger. Malty, roasted taste with dried fruit, prunes, caramel, dark rye bread, chocolate, soft smoky malt and hints of chocolate and ginger. More than medium body, with a certain sweetness and a balanced bitterness. The mild smoke character makes it quite well balanced. Nice one.

4.0 Dark brown body with a big off white head. Roasted malty aroma with smoke, coffee, caramel, some spices. Perfect palate, with a medium to full body and decent non aggressive carbonation. Very nice easy drinking flavour with coffee and smoke, some dark chocolate and wood. Great.

3.3 Bottle at Hilpeä Hauki, Helsinki. Originally rated 26052012. Colour is reddish brown with small head. Aromas and flavours: Smoke, coffee, chocolate, some sweetness and roasted malts.

2.9 # 3351 ersma: smoked ist klar, aber worin unterscheidet sich ein baltic porter von einem englischen? schwarz mit dezentem schaum. der geruch ist süßlich, melassig mit etwas röstmalz und dezenter rauchigkeit. der antrunk ist röstmalzig mit dezzentem aroma von schinkenkate. dazu lakritz und kaffe, sowie etwas toffee. die mitte wird rauchiger, dazu leichte hopfenherbe. der abgang ist süßlich, nur mehr dezent rauchig. dazu toffee. wirkt insgesamt etwas dünn für ein porter. die flasche ist schlicht und gut. fazit: die dezente rauchnote ist sehr angenehm, wenn man kein freund von verbranntem-holzscheit-bier ist. ansonsten kann man in ein porter durchaus mehr geschmack packen. dennoch gut trinkbar. 9,10,9,8,13,9 - 9,20 - 23/6/13

3.4 Bottle. Color red with a medium brown head. Aroma malt, roasted, caramel, smoke, wood. Taste sweet, bitter, wood, smoke.

3.5 Pretty solid, with amber hues shining through the edges of the glass, this porter has a thin, light brown head. The aroma is seriously smoked and roasted and very malty. Although it’s extremely roasted, it’s not as heavy as you’d think it would be in the mouth. It’s smooth, but it does get heavy in the belly after a while. I like a beer, regardless of its body, that won’t fill you up after one glass. This really starts to, and has more of the heaviness of a dense stout than a porter. This is a very filling beer. That, or it just felt filling because I had already been drinking all day.

3.3 22 oz. poured into an Orval chalice. A - Pours a dark reddish brown, almost black body with a 2 finger cola head that vanishes. S - Smoke is the first thing i smell. Some dark cocoa, toasted sugar, rummy spice bread, charcoal, soy sauce, sticky raisins, smoked figs. T - Dark chocolate and heavily roasted coffee beans dominate. There’s a simple sweetness there to counteract the char flavors. Iron, salt, and pepper flow over the palate with a grassy hop profile that blends well the rest of the flavors. Finishes dry with a smoked peppercorn aftertaste. M - Medium to moderate carbonation, lighter body, dry and spicy finish. A very inviting beer. The smoke is strong but it’s more of a dry smoke and not a meat smoke flavor. Nice smoked fruit in the aroma. Would be good to split the bomber w/ someone. Serving type: bottle 01-07-2012

3.4 Bottle: Nearly black, dark brown hues, moderate frothy beige head, fairly nice lacing. Strong ash and campfire on the nose. Subtle roastiness. Soft sweet smoky malts up front. Backside has what I can best describe as a slight smokey stewed peas sorts of earthy flavor. Maybe a little soft smoked ham in a split pea soup sorta flavor. Odd for a beer, great for dinner. Moderate to full body and mouthfeel. Coats without being too heavy. Lingering smokey finish, charred wood, campfire, and ash. Baltic Porter takes a back seat to the smoke. Tiz okay, but the smoked ham & split pea soup flavors make me think otherwise. Strange...

3.8 Bottle. Black with a medium head. Some maltiness and slightly smoked but less than I expected. Medium body with a malty aftertaste. Pleasant.

3.7 Rating from notes, unknown date, likely 2012. Black. Malt and roasted grain, but moderate smoke in the flavor and aroma, more so in the aroma. Dry finish. Good.

4.2 Bottle from Coppers, Newcastle. A black-brown beer with ruby red highlights and a quickly disappearing head. It has chocolate and coffee flavours with malt, smoke and roast with more subtle smoke and leather on the finish. Very nice.

3.8 Bomber from Cardinal Wine in Niles, cellar aged 9 months, plus however long it was on their shelves (ah - a "bottled on" date of 7/12/2011). Pours cola brown with a foamy brown head leaving some lacing. Aroma has caramel, molasses, cocoa nibs and fruit. Taste is of sweet caramel, salty licorice and roast, with some grape and some faint smoke presence. Somewhat carbonated and tangy, and a bit rough to start, it calms through the glass and some underlying chocolate appears. Finishes roasty bittersweet. Really this should be described as a fairly tasty medium strength porter, more so than a smoked.