Beer Advent Calendar – Day 13: Blitzen Baltic Porter presented by Dale

December 14th, 2013

Categorized under: Advent

Beer Advent Calendar – Day 13: Blitzen Baltic Porter presented by Dale

@SoDakBeer, @millstreambrew

To celebrate the Holiday Season, 2Beerguys.com and Seacoastbeveragelab.com have teamed up with beer bloggers around the country to host the third annual beer bloggers advent calendar. This is the season of sharing and we intend to share our love of beer with you. 31 Bloggers Blogging – click here for the running list of beers/bloggers.

Let’s see who is spreading holiday cheer today!

Blogger: Dale Miskimins
Blog Name: Sodakbeer’s Blog
Twitter/Facebook/Untappd: @sodakbeer – http://www.facebook.com/groups/sodakbeer/ – sodakbeer
Beer: Millstream Blitzen Baltic Porter
Brewery: Millstream Brewing Company Amana, IA.

Beer Details:

Style: Baltic Porter
ABV: 8%
IBU: 40.5

Commercial Description:
Our Blitzen Baltic Porter has a lighty roasted malt aroma that is typical of a Baltic Porter. The beer is dark in color and has a smooth and creamy body. The medium hop bitterness is well balanced with the sweet-ness of the malts. This big beer has lots of complexity and richness with its flavors and the alcohol is extremely well hidden. Malts: 2 Row, Crystal. Hops: Millennium, Saaz, Munich, Chocolate, Black. ** Available November – December 2013

Why I selected the Millstream Blitzen Baltic Porter:
The Millstream Brewery is Iowa’s oldest and most decorated craft brewery. They have operated in Amana, Iowa since 1985. Their core line up of beers reflect the German heritage of the Amana Colonies, but new offerings are more adventurous. The alcohol law changed in Iowa in 2010 allowing higher ABV (alcohol by volume) beers. The Brewmaster’s Extreme Series beers were started to give Millstream fans unique choices. Co-owner Teresa Albert explained that customers are always looking for something new. The series fills this niche and also gives brewmaster and co-owner Chris Priebe new brewing challenges. There are currently four seasonal beers in the series. The beers may appear only once or return if the demand is there. A barrel aging program has also been started with four different varieties being offered on tap at the brewery this year.

Blitzen Baltic Porter is the winter seasonal Extreme Series offering. The Baltic porter style (sometimes referred to as an Imperial porter) is traditional in countries bordering the Baltic Sea and is derived from the English porter style . The style is stronger than English porters with an alcohol content of 7.0 – 8.5% (for reference Deschutes Black Butte porter has an ABV of 5.2%). The label is an eye catcher with a “blitzed” looking Blitzen featured. The original chosen name for the beer was “Blitzed Blitzen” but this was rejected by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau). The artwork for the label was created by Andrew Kidd of Kidd Graphic Design in Cedar Rapids, IA.

The malt bill for Blitzen includes 2 Row, Crystal, Munich, Chocolate and Black malts. Hops include a mixture of Millennium and Saaz. The ABV = 8.0% and IBUs = 40.

The beer pours out deep brown into a goblet with a brown head. The aroma is primarily roasted malt with lesser coffee, chocolate and cherry notes. The taste is a yummy combination of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. This is a nice winter seasonal beer with good balance, and it isn’t boozy, despite the 8.0% ABV. Get this beer now because you might not get another chance!

Coming attractions in the Extreme Series will be a dark IPA and a raspberry latte stout. Millstream distributes to Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Nebraska. Western Illinois has recently been added.

Thanks to Teresa Albert for taking time from her busy schedule to visit with me!

About the SODAK – Beer news and reviews for Dakotaland:
My name is Dale Miskimins. I am a craft beer fan from Elkton, South Dakota. I am a veterinarian, husband, father, grandfather (x4) and dog owner (x2). Please visit http://www.sodakbeer.com and join me on this fantastic voyage.

About Millstream Brewing Company:
In 1985 Millstream Brewing Co. opened its doors – the first brewery to operate in Amana since 1884. So the Millstream Brewery was born and so it has come to be recognized as the home of quality brews of rewarding taste.

The Story Continues in 2000 with the sale of the brewery to Chris Priebe, Tom and Teresa Albert. Chris is naturally handy and keeps the brewery in tip-top shape. Chris also is a trained brewer from the Siebel Institute of Brewing Technology and has brought many years of brewing experience to Millstream. Teresa is an excellent people person and handles all the sales and marketing. Tom is our warehouse and production manager. He is the “glue” that binds the place together. It takes a good team to run a good brewery!