~$20 for 64 oz. growler- Purchased from OddStory Brewing Company
Background
Tax day was coming up. I knew I would be spending quite a bit of time on Sunday, April 14, at my desk, pouring over receipts, entering numbers into spreadsheets, then into TurboTax. I figured what better way to lubricate the proceedings than to get some good beer to sip along with tax time…so the day before, after finishing up work I headed over to OddStory Brewing Company in downtown Chattanooga.
I’ve reviewed a couple things from them before, but this is the first time I had visited the taproom/brewery. They opened in 2016 at the corner of MLK and Foster and have been distributing their beers in cans throughout the area for about a year. I wanted to get something I hadn’t seen in a can and something a little “meatier” than their core lines. The Baltic Brotherhood Porter was the only thing on the menu that fit those criteria…and it won’t be around for much longer since they are transitioning into lighter summer-appropriate brews.
Baltic Brotherhood is a Baltic Porter that is a collaborative effort among the folks at OddStory, Crafty Bastard, and Hutton & Smith. It weighs in at 8% ABV and only 30 IBU, making it just about perfect for my palate. After finishing up a successful run at my taxes, I took a pint or so of Baltic Brotherhood outside with a Padron 1926 Serie No 90 Maduro.
Notes
The color was almost as black as any stout you might order up, though the mouthfeel was not quite so full. It had a fairly thin head that dissipated within a few minutes, a wonderful berry aroma and tons of coffee up front. Further sipping gives up some notes of dark chocolate and a mild sweetness.
Maltiness is the biggest take-away in the traditional beer notes, with roasty-toasty malts almost completely masking hoppy bitterness. That combination also makes for a great pairing with Nicaraguan Maduro-wrapped cigars. I often choose Tatuaje Maduros for this purpose, but this Padron 1926 Serie Maduro was spectacular, adding its own pepper spice and earthiness while the chocolate sweetness of both beer and cigar melded together.
This ended up being a really good day…got in a good workout at the gym. Watched Tiger Woods complete the comeback of the century with a win at the Masters. The Dodgers snapped a 6-game losing streak. Taxes turned out to be less time-consuming and painful than expected. And this beer and cigar pairing was excellent together and a fine way to celebrate. It’s really too bad that OddStory won’t be keeping some darker brew on the menu through the summer…I know the demand is for lighter fare, but this was a great Porter that I would return for if possible. If you’re in the Chattanooga area and this sounds good, get to it…once they run out of Baltic Brotherhood, it’s gone for good…or at least until they make another batch when the weather gets cooler again.
