Aldaris Porteris (LVA)

This Baltic Porter from Riga pours a very dark brown, but holding it up to the light reveals clarity and a red tinge. There's a nice fluffy beige head as well.

Initially, the taste reminds me of a doppelbock. The big caramel malt is sweet and reminiscent of molasses and licorice. It's slightly acrid, although not offensively so. Only in the finish does it turn into coffee. The body is an asset: medium with soft carbonation. The overall effect, though, is a bit sloppy. Some will accept this as the price to pay for flavor.

I'm in a bit of an anti-doppelbock mood right now, and would have preferred a more standard dry, roasted coffee-ish porter. Still, I paid only $1.85 for 500 ml, which is certainly good value for a decent, fairly big beer.