cosied up

One of the other dark beers pulled off the shelf at Hop Hop Hurra, Pohjala's Cosy Nights Vanilla Porter.  The shopkeep was impressed with the choice, saying he was just blown away by it.  Pohjala is a very respectable source of beer, especially the dark beers I've found, and it looks like there will be some drizzly days ahead.  Perfect for a porter at home!

Good color and fizzy head, looking on the slimmer side for feel.  It has something of a vanilla ice cream aroma.  The first sip is oddly tickly, with a tiny feeler of bitter, but then it smooths out into something more candy-like, and the vanilla is definitely leading the way.  It has something more of a coating feel in the mouth, not a beer that slides on and disappears, although not sticky at first.  There's a shadow of licorice and coffee boiling up in the middle, fortunately for me the licorice remains just a whisper.  It has a definite warming effect, very appropriate to being a winter porter, and just the thing when you're suffering a little cold.  After a while there's some kind of banana flavor sneaking in, giving it even more of a pudding sensation.  In the end, there's much to recommend the beer, it's tasty and it's calming, it goes perfectly with its own name.  A fine choice indeed.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah

Price: €5.75

look forward to winter

Back to my black beers!  And this one is a more special example.  Pohjala, like many northern breweries, is pretty damn good with stouts and porters, and Must Kuld does not look like it should disappoint.  It's one of those porters with something extra, chilli and chocolate.  It might not beat The Mayan, but I don't think I'll be sorry about picking it up.

There's the lightest of portery aromas when the cap comes off, and the beer is rich and chocolatey looking.  Not too much head, although a fine cap of dark beige suds remains on top.  A good sniff reveals a little smoky chilli, and perhaps a hint of black beer earthiness.  It has a touch of sour in the taste, like a lighter style of chocolate might, and no chilli up front.  It takes a while for a slight burn to rise up from the end of the swallow.  It's not overwhelming or in your face, like some chilli beers that rely a little too much on the feel than on the taste.  It's only a mild warmth that doesn't really interfere with the somewhat chocolatey flavor of the beginning.  The chocolate part is fortunately not too sweet and stays light and easy, no syrupiness.  Perhaps not a popular choice for a summer beer, but quite the treat for me.

Supplier: Be Hoppy

Price: €4.55