Leinenkugel beer is famous throughout the upper midwest, and for good reason. The company dates back to 1867, and has been operating out of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin pretty much ever since. More recently, it was bought by Miller Brewing (of the Milwaukee Brewers fame), giving it an awesome amount of cash to subsidize its endeavors, but still being allowed almost complete autonomy to brew what it will--the owners of Leinie's are truly living the brewer's dream.
Big Eddy is the Leinie's deluxe series, similar to Samuel Adam's Small Batch series, and their Baltic Porter is one of the offerings in said series. I have poured a twelve ounce bottle into a tulip glass. The beer is almost black, shining slightly red when held up to the light. I didn't get the pour quite right, so there was a minimal amount of tan brown head. The nose is dark and sweet, roasted nuts, toffee, and caramel. This beer is very much malt forward.
The palate has notes of coffee, chocolate, and nuts, with a slightly burnt flavor. It is definitely sweeter than the Whitewater IPA, and lacking much of any piney, floral hops notes, as you would expect from a dark malty beer. However, it lacks the cloying, mouth and throat coating characteristics that some Imperial Stouts can have (a notable example of what I am speaking about here is Surly Brewing's The Darkness, ,which was everything that I normally like about Imperial Stouts cranked to a level which I did not at all care for), finishing smoothly and without lingering to the point of distaste.
Maggie asked an astute question on my last post (which I will answer in a moment), about food pairings, so I will from here on be addressing that topic in my reviews as well. The traditional food partner with Porter is, of course, the porterhouse steak, and I see that working well with this one, as well. Possibly even better would be a nice thick serving of Prime Rib, roasted with a generous marinade of red wine, garlic, onion, and rosemary to a perfect rare. I would serve it with a dark pumpernickel bread to soak up the drippings and a hearty green vegetable such as Brussel sprouts (perhaps cooked with bacon) for a slightly acidic, bitter contrast to all the dark red richness of the plate.
In a nutshell you should try this beer if you like Imperial Stouts, but sometimes want something with a cleaner finish and a thinner mouthfeel. It would be especially good for warmer spring and fall days when the toasty warmth of the stout is to much.
