Pohjala Ars Obscura 33 Cl. (cellar series)

Põhjala’s Ars Obscura from the Cellar Series is a 13.5% ABV imperial porter, opulent and profound, aged in Scotch whisky and Sauternes casks. In the glass it appears black and velvety, with a thin brown head that carries an aromatic profile of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, liquorice and molasses, interwoven with the notes of vanilla, wood and peat that the whisky leaves behind and the hints of candied apricot, honey and raisin gifted by the Sauternes. The body is full and enveloping, the sweetness counterbalanced by a firm roast and an elegant alcoholic warmth, while the long, lingering finish unfolds among bitter cocoa, dried fruit and spice. A beer for contemplation born of the silence of the Tallinn brewery’s cellar, best served at cellar temperature, in a small tulip glass, for those who seek in imperial porter a rich, complex and unhurried expression, to share or to cellar.