The Devils Backbone Brewing Company, located in Roseland, Virginia, might be owned by a large company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, but they are geared towards craft brewing. Established in 2008 by Steven Crandall, they have maintained true to developing new and interesting takes on beer. Up today is one of their winter offerings, Danzig Baltic Porter.
Danzig Baltic Porter pours a deep coffee black with a tan head that resembled toffee or caramel. The head quickly dissipated shortly after pouring. This is a dark beer, as one would expect from a porter. The aroma offers notes of malt, toasted malts, a hint of caramel and coffee. Nothing is overpowering and the aromatics are kind of subdued but when noticed are pleasant.
The first sip is heavenly. The malt is up front and is quickly followed by chocolate, coffee, and caramel. There is a tiny hint of hops on the back end. There is a comforting feeling when it hits your tongue, like you wouldn’t mind being curled up on a cold, snowy winter’s day with a few of these in front of a fireplace. The mouthfeel is on the medium side but the finish is smooth and creamy. It finishes with a little hop dryness which makes you want another sip almost immediately.
The carbonation was light, as one would expect from the way the head formed and dissipated. The taste stayed consistent for the most part. There were times where dark chocolate and caramel dominated the sip while at other times you noticed a more bitter coffee taste. It didn’t matter because every sip was inviting and full of flavor.
Overall, this was an excellent beer. If you like dark beers like porters and stouts you should enjoy this. I wish I had more than one from my sampler pack but alas another trip to the beer store will be necessary. There is a reason this won bronze at the 2018 World Beer Cup. I am a fan and will be looking out for this one. It is definitely worth a try if you enjoy porters or stouts.