The Swill: Aldaris Porteris
The Still: Aldaris Brewing Company
Riga, Latvia
http://www.aldaris.lv
The Drill: European Porter, 16.9oz bottle, 6.8% ABV
The Spill: Brown in color, this brew follows traditional recipes for porters, at least according to the bottle's label. The ale's body is dense enough for a porter, and a caramel flavor is evident, but it's sour as well. Many European beers have exhibited this shortcoming, but it's always difficult to point the finger at the beer itself when you don't know how long it's been sitting in the bottle. Lesser known beers tend to spend more time on the shelves, after all.
Says Bill: This was the other beer that Holly and I ordered at Gambrinus in Redondo Beach, the first being Baltika No. 8, which I reviewed in this blog's infancy. Both beers were disappointing, and I've long adhered to the belief that that's just what you get with European beers; they just aren't my style, and American ones are. However, I was examining the label on this one, and I noticed the batch number stamped on the back: 01.12.06. Now, if that's a date, which it certainly looks like, then I drank this bottle about two and a half years after it was bottled. That's not good. I think the folks at Gambrinus ought to rotate their stock a little more often.
Refill?: Gambrinus, how dare you mess with my confidence in beer assessment. Now I don't know who to blame: 1.5 taps out of 5.