Overstating its ‘wintry setting,’ bottom-fermented dry lagering provides dark-roasted chocolate malting to black licorice slipstream and soured cola-walnut acridity. Lacks distinction of Dominion’s best offerings.

Solid Baltic Porter/ India Pale Ale hybrid (not far removed from a Cascadian dark ale) brings pine-fruited hop spicing, latent wood burnt bittering and earthen herbal respite to sweet mocha molasses sugaring. At its center, tangy grapefruit-pineapple-melon-cherry conflux contrasts dark chocolate malting. Clandestine hazelnut-chestnut-walnut conflux and mild maple molasses nuance fill out backend. Well-balanced medium-full body introduced in 2012 just after trendy Black IPA fad settled down a tad.

Worthy 2012 limited edition Baltic porter hybrid plies cocoa-dried chocolate malting and black coffee bittering to subtle blood orange peel bittering that’s pleasingly overwhelmed by peaty mulch composting. Dark chocolate-roasted cocoa nibs influence fortifies dusky mocha finish.

On tap, soft-textured dry porter relies more on soy-sauced dried fruiting than expected mocha malting. Sun-dried fig, plum, and pomegranate illusions inundate soured frontage. Mossy peat-smoked earthen dewing nabs stove-burnt coffee and flaked chocolate subsidy.

Peculiar medium-bodied Baltic porter loses initial black chocolate-kissed coffee roast to oily hop-charred walnut sharpness and trifling dried fruit sourness. Closer to a precarious schwarzbier with its musky caramel-malted creaminess, dry cocoa-powdered piquancy, and tannic black cherry tartness. Ashy cardboard backdrop fades abruptly to buttery soy cocoa finish. Perplexingly meandering.

Bitter Chinook hops activate smoked nuttiness and prune souring of unconventional pitch-black porter. Oak-dried cherry pucker reinforces raspberry puree midst until tar-like acridity overwhelms parched cocoa chalkiness and baker’s chocolate wither to clean watered ice coffee finish.

Preferable mahogany-hued Baltic porter benefits from creamy lactic frontage contrasting leathery port-bourbon elegance. Soft hop-charred toasted oats vault brown-sugared coffee, espresso, and caramel latte nuances. Vanilla, molasses, and burnt caramel sweeten tertiary raisin-prune-plum illusions and latent anise-sarsaparilla tease. Aged two years, ’09 version gained wood-smoked hop roast and chocolate-cocoa intensity over thicker molasses sapping.

Roasted barley-mocha persistence and dry rye affluence inundate tongue as impending burgundy sweetness deepens truly splendid porter. Nutty raisin-prune follow-up enhances mellow port wine luster of perfect dessert beer.

Head brewer Giles Dennis celebrates 2004 Brewer of the Year award with superior mahogany dry-bodied Baltic-styled porter deceptively labeled an ‘ale.’ Mocha-chocolate waft enhances burnt caramel core, candied Scotch sweetness, vanilla-marshmallow resonation, and honeyed maple-molasses dab. Secondary smoked cedar, charred wood chip, cashew, and tar illusions softened by chewy chocolate cake finish. Yummy sherry-rum thicket fills deep bruised cherry-dried apricot recess.

Inefficient mahogany-hued Baltic-like porter with dry nutty mocha disposition stays astringent as cheap espresso, burnt coffee, and cocoa bean illusions belie earthen hop char. Black chocolate bittering, latent cola nut surge, and burnt wood sensation fail to variegate backend, though further sips reveal frothy lactose creaminess.