Baltic-Style Porter

What is Baltic-Style Porter?

Baltic-style porter is a dark strong cold-fermented beer brewed with lager yeast.

The beer has a malty flavour, often containing notes of caramel, iris, toasted bread, and/or liquorice. Due to its alcoholic strength, it may include very low to low complex alcohol flavours. This style typically has a smooth texture and medium bitterness. 

Origin Story

Baltic porter is a version of Imperial stout that emerged in the 19th century in the Baltic region.

Since the 18th century, strong and expensive Imperial stout has been exported from Britain to the Russian market. This dark beer also became popular in countries along the Baltic Sea, where local ingredients and brewing traditions were used to replicate it.

Early versions of Baltic porter were top-fermented, but by the mid-19th century, as lagering techniques reached the Baltic region, porters began to be brewed using the bottom fermentation method. This transformed the Baltic porter into a lager.

Today, only a few Baltic porters retain their original strength of over 10%, but they typically maintain a strong roasted flavour with hints of liquorice. Baltic porter is produced in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, and even the United States.