Jurata Baltic Porter

Brewed by: Coronado Brewing Company and Cigar City Brewing

Beer Classification and Specs

• Style: Porter
• Variation: Baltic
• Limited: Yes
• ABV: 8%
• IBU: 30

Notes: Collaboration between Cigar City and Coronado Brewing.

Brewer’s Notes and Ingredients

When naming this Baltic porter, a collaboration with Tampa’s famed Cigar City Brewing, we opted for Jurata as a nod to a mythological mermaid known to roam the depths of the Baltic Sea, just as energetic yeast used to brew this deep dark beer navigated our fermentation tanks. Dive in and enjoy Jurata’s true-to-style rich and complex flavors!

Hops: Nugget, Brewers Gold

Malts: Vienna, Dark Munich, Caramunich, C 150, Carafa, Chocolate Malts

More Jurata Baltic Porter Images

First Impressions

Artwork: Vector drawing of mermaid silhouette, and “Jurata” name in brushed cursive.

Color: Dark, dark brown, almost black. Very opaque.

Aroma: Malt and coffee grinds.

The Tasting

Arrived in: 22oz. Bottle

Served in: Pint Glass

Jurata is pronounced yoo – rah – tuh. It’s named after mythical mermaids that inhabited the Baltic Sea, once upon a time.

This was a joint project between Coronado Brewing and Cigar City, who has collaborated with an impressive list of top West Coast brewers this year to date: Candela (Green Flash), Yonder Bock (Sierra), and Ramblin’ Rye (AleSmith).

We tried this porter a few months back, and really enjoyed it. After learning it won gold at the 2014 San Diego International Beer Festival, we wanted to re-visit this top award winner again.

Jurata Baltic Porter had a minimal tan head after pouring, and whatever foam was left on top died off immediately. This ale was deep, dark, and stagnant, with zero carbonation.

Mouthfeel is usually a product of the bubbly, but Jurata got its mouthfeel from maltiness. It leaned toward the thicker side, but still maintained a velvety smoothness for a full-bodied ale.

Jurata was a traditional porter in all senses of the style — dark,  bitter, and powerful ABV. There were no flavors used (coffee, chocolate, vanilla, etc), and this ale relied on its own maltiness for a biting, dark roast.

It was solid enough to stand on its own, and didn’t need any fancy flavoring. Its also worth mentioning that Jurata’s 8% felt more like 10-12 ABV%.

There was malty flavor up front, but a long finish stuck on the palate, where this ale’s true notes emerged. From the dark ale bitterness, came a touch of sweetness near the end, almost like a hint of black licorice.

Final Score: 4/5

Jurata Baltic Porter was a strong, malty, and delicious dark ale. We wish the bitterness was a bit more pronounced, but it was still great on all other fronts you look for in a quality porter.