Sixpack Sez

Jan. 4, 2008 | Victory Baltic Thunder arrives

A NEW YEAR brings new beer, and the first out of the box is one of the more hotly anticipated beers to reach the shelves in several years. It's Victory Baltic Thunder, a beefy, dark ale that the beer makers out in Downingtown have been futzing around with for months.

The ale, a so-called Baltic porter, is actually the rebirth of an old local favorite, Heavyweight Perkuno's Hammer. That beer evaporated in '06 when Jersey-based Heavyweight closed shop.

Last spring, Victory invited former Heavyweight brewer Tom Baker to re-create his recipe in its larger kettles. "When Perkuno's Hammer went off the market, it kind of left a void," said Victory's Bill Covaleski. "Plus, we really liked that beer and wanted to bring it back."

Easier said than done.

Covaleski said King of Prussia-based Kunda Beverage, the wholesaler that formerly held Heavyweight's distribution rights in the city, balked at allowing Victory to use the old Perkuno's Hammer label. So Victory designed new labels and gave the porter its new name.

Then the brewery discovered that its caps wouldn't fit the new, 750ml bottles it had planned to use. The company eventually chased down some 22-ounce bombers for the job.

The delays, though, meant that the first batch brewed in May continued to mellow to the point that it lost some of its edgy character, Covaleski said. The brewery eventually blended it with two other batches to give it the full, assertive flavor of the original Hammer.

So, what is Baltic porter?

The story goes that the British introduced Russia's Catherine the Great to their strong (or stout) porter. They fortified their dark ale with even more alcohol to survive shipment to freezing St. Petersburg, and imperial stout was born.

Not all the beer made it to Russia.

Port cities in Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland and elsewhere took a swallow and then added their own twist. Showing their German roots, Baltic brewers reproduced the inky porter with lager yeast that ferments at cooler temperatures.

Area beer freaks have been drooling in anticipation ever since Victory revealed it was going to produce Baker's highly regarded porter. (The original beer was the brainchild of area beer writer Lew Bryson of Malt Advocate magazine, who had helped Baker develop its recipe.) Now, they'll have an opportunity to compare it with the original.

The beer debuts tomorrow at the Drafting Room (635 N. Pottstown Pike, Exton), where it will be poured side by side with a long-cellared keg of Perkuno's Hammer. The event, which begins at noon, will also feature several other aged kegs from Heavyweight, as well as several rare brews from Victory.

Baltic Thunder will also pour at Victory Brewing (420 Acorn Lane, Downingtown) and should appear on area shelves within a couple of weeks, said Covaleski.

"Although," he added, "after everything we've been through with this beer, we expect a meteor to hit Downingtown and wipe it all out."

More new beer

One of the best beers in America that you couldn't buy in Pennsylvania is finally here. It's Racer 5, the fabulously hoppy India pale ale from Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg, Calif.

Area importers had been wooing Bear Republic for years with no luck. The only recourse for eager beer drinkers was to pick up bottles in Maryland, one of the few Eastern states where it had been distributed.

"It's one of those legendary beers that no one's been able to get in Pennsylvania," said Chuck Greenstreet of Stockertown Beverage in Northampton County, which finally won the brass ring.

Bottles started showing up in better beer shops just after Christmas Day, and they're disappearing quickly. Besides the highly aromatic Racer 5, Bear Republic is sending us Hop Rod Rye, Red Rocket Ale (a Scotch ale), Big Bear Black Stout and XP Pale Ale.

Look for them in 22-ouncers and draft.

Still waiting

Now that Bear Republic is here, what is Philly missing? Here are six highly regarded American craft beers you can't get here - yet.

1. Alaskan Smoked Porter (Juneau, Alaska): A world classic with a rich, smoky flavor.

2. AleSmith Speedway Stout (San Diego): An imperial stout, it's ranked No. 4 among American brews at RateBeer.com.

3. Deschutes Black Butte Porter (Bend, Ore.): A perfectly balanced porter with a hint of coffee flavor.

4. Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter (Farmville, N.C.): An up-and-comer from the South.

5. New Belgium Fat Tire (Fort Collins, Colo.): This amber ale is not the brewery's best brand, but certainly it's the most popular.

6. New Glarus Belgian Red (New Glarus, Wis.): Tart, fruity and unavailable anywhere outside of Wisconsin.