Long live strong beer

Today's candidates come courtesy of the clearout bin at Craft Central. I swerved all the unsold American hazy IPAs and went for styles where a bit of age wouldn't be a problem. As it happened, both of these were well within their best-befores, the brewery allowing for a two-year shelf life which was barely half way through. That all seems fair. Both are from Berlin brewer Fuerst Wiacek.

Can one was Dream #5: Baltic Porter. I detected a bit of squidgeyness on the unopened can but it wasn't flat, pouring with a tall head and with enough fizz to stand up to a high-gravity dark-malt body. 9.5% ABV is the strength: adequate, with an entirely appropriate heat. An aniseed aroma tells me that they've aimed for the fundamentals of Baltic porter and hit them square on. The flavour calmly unfolds a heavy roast, like thick coffee dregs, treacle or molasses; a metallic bitterness which is hard though not harsh, and then the herbal side which includes the aniseed and to it adds rosemary and eucalyptus. Oils, grease, thickness and booze: what's not to like? This is pure textbook stuff, in a fancy-dan craft can with craft artwork but tastes exactly like a well-reputed 19th century Polish brewery put it out in a half-litre bottle. Majestic.

Dream #4: Barley Wine is a step back in sequence but a step forward in strength at the full 10% ABV. It's a deep honey-amber shade and hazy, while the aroma suggests densely sweet sugar; none of your hop fireworks of American takes on the style. Wine by name and wine by nature, the flavour opens on a strongly sweet grape or raisin vibe. This fades quickly to leave hard-boiled candy and hot cream sherry or whisky liqueur: something from the back of your granny's drinks cabinet. It's charming in its own way, but not classy like the Baltic porter. I liked the unashamed heft, but I also get why the Americans looked at this sort sort of heat and density and decided what it needed was a boatload of C-hops. I think I would have preferred something more in that direction: the base is great but it needs some fireworks to launch from it.

Great stuff here from the Berlin brewery and I did well to get them for a knock-down price. I would have no problem with either recipe graduating from one-off special to regular rotation.