Grand Cuvee Porter Baltique Black Lager

As brewmasters say, this is a 'big beer'. Not because the bottle is taller than me or weighs as much as Saturn, but because it's a very high gravity, thick-on-the-palate, full-flavoured, aged-for-3½-years uber-beer. I'll concede straight away that it's definitely NOT going to be everyone's taste. If you're used to the lighter North American styles then this might be more horizon-widening than your tastebuds can handle. But this is a GREAT beer. It absolutely bursts with deep, rich malty and smoky flavours, whilst oats in the grain bill provide a wonderfully creamy and silky-full mouth feel. Yet it's nowhere near too sweet... how do they do that? It's slightly schizoid because the front, as you can see, says both 'porter baltique' and 'black lager'. However the label on the back, in addition to providing an unusually complete set of information about the contents, sorts out any confusion by saying 'Strong dark lager inspired from Porters around Baltic Sea region'. Well, as a lager, honestly, it simply ain't... not in most people's understanding of the term. But as a porter it is one of the most delicious examples of said that I've ever tasted. Strong at 10% and lusciously rich, I doubt even I could drink more than one bottle. But you can pretty much *taste* the effort those cunning Queebs put into this excellent brew. Would I drink it every day? No. Would I drink it on a hot day? Absolutely not. But do I rate it Very Highly Recommended? Yes sir, I certainly do!