Learn about the history of the Baltic porter beer style and what exactly it is.
When you think of local craft beer, you typically think of beer styles such as IPA, brown ale, lager, or stout. And for a reason. Those beer styles are regularly among the most popular and well-known in the United States. One style you may not have heard of is a Baltic porter, such as Iowa Brewing Company's Oja.
Prior to the craft beer movement, Baltic porters fell in popularity over the century leading up to that. Even today, they are a rare sight on American shelves. That's because they're brewed in a much more traditional method than most beers are today. But make no mistake—Baltic porters are definitely not your average beer.
So what exactly is a Baltic porter?
The origins of Baltic porter beer dates back to the 1700s. Although this style of beer was created in the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea (think Poland, Estonia, Finland, and Russia), it gained fame when introduced to London’s working class, known as porters, whose jobs was to load ships and often traded goods with the Baltic states — hence the name Baltic porter.
As for the beverage itself, Baltic porters are cold-fermented and cold-lagered, which helps preserve their unique clean and complex flavors. They are lagers, not ales, and with that comes a smoother and bolder mouthfeel. A typical Baltic porter will take anywhere from a few months to a year to mature and develop their strong tastes and aromas.
Porter beers are similar to imperial stouts in that they tend to have notes of cocoa, chocolate, nuts, and coffee, are high in alcohol percentage, and are among the darkest beers on the market.
Baltic porters fell out of fashion during the 1900’s, particularly during the Cold War. But this unique style of craft beer has seen an incredible resurgence in popularity over the last ten to twenty years thanks to the craft beer movement and breweries who really understand what goes into crafting unique lagers.
Next time you visit a local craft brewery and see a Baltic porter on the menu, give it a shot! And now that you know the history behind the beer style, you can educate your friends and seem like a beer genius.