Lots of countries have a number of very good beers to their credit. Perhaps Frank Zappa put it best when he said, “You can't be a Real Country unless you have a BEER and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a BEER.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself. So, when I set out to take a tour around the world in eighty beers, all of them bottled mind you, you can imagine that at times the decision on what beer best represents a country could be difficult indeed. At times, it has been, but when the choice came for Lithuania, it was a simple one: Utenos Porter.

Lithuania is not generally regarded as one of the world’s great brewing nations. Yet, I would submit to you that Utenos Porter is a world-class brew, and one that is certainly worth seeking out. This is not porter in the classic sense, at least as the style is defined in England where it was born.

Nay, this is a Baltic Porter a unique interpretation of the style that is bottom fermented rather than top, meaning this is a lager rather than an ale. Thus, the fruity notes one might expect are absent here (other than raisin), though the rich malty notes have a magic all their own.

Utenos is a bit stronger than your average porter, too. At 6.8% alcohol by volume, the beer has a bit more kick to it, fitting to keep one warm on a cold Baltic night. This is a brew any Lithuanian can be proud of. Descended from such stock myself, this beer holds a special place in my heart.

Utenos Porter pours to a decidedly rich looking caramel brown color with a towering head of creamy tan foam and a soothing treacle and caramel nose. On the palate, Utenos Porter is wonderfully rich and complex with thick notes of molasses and raisin, nutty dark sweet malt, chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. The beer is smooth and luxuriant, full to the mouthfeel, and glides right over the tongue.

In some respects the dark malty flavors call to mind a decocted double bock. The slight alcohol warmth in the finish reinforces that impression. The finish is certainly on the sweet side, with just a trace of hops that do not even pretend to contest the malt sweetness. A wonderfully warm and rich nutty chocolate sensation is left on the tongue after sipping.

Truly, Utenos Porter is Lithuania in a bottle.

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