Beer Review: Southern Tier Krampus

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Nine percent

Appearance: This poured a deep copper color. After reading "Helles Lager" on the front of the label I was shocked to see something in the amber range pour out of this bottle. Fooled by that imperial word once again. The head had a thick and creamy appearance. It came off as very fluffy. Almost like clouds or a pillow. This, in turn, ended up leaving some thick and web-like lacing. It was tough to notice the carbonation bustling around, but a closer look unveiled it.

Smell: This was intensely sweet and spicy. It almost had a wintery smell to it. Quite reminiscent of a winter warmer. There was also a layer of intense malt character. This was probably responsible for some of the sweetness. It was almost like sweet candy.

Taste: This mainly had a dark and roasty profile to it. Kind of like overdone toast. It was also kind of tangy. There was a vigorous showing of hops towards the back that was mid-way to the rest of the way back. This tasted very out of place in the brew. My mouth was partially saturated by that hop flavor for the rest of the drink. Nothing really mixed well in this. Most flavors seemed out of place.

Overall Rating: 

When I think Helles Lager I think clear, gold and crisp. Maybe some cracker and malt tastes. Not dark, roasty and hops. Good lord. The beer has a lovely color and looks great, but I can't remember any drink in my life where I was as confused as when I had this. Nothing worked well together. It was almost as if each component of the taste  didn't belong there.

Monday Rant: Loose Speech

A few weeks ago I received a text from my girlfriend (whom is quite beer illiterate and admits this) that asked "what does the word imperial mean when referring to a beer?"

I've never claimed to be any form of a beer expert, but I actually had to consult my Oxford Companion to Beer for the answer to this due to seeing the word "Imperial" thrown onto just about every other beer name out there. Otherwise, you'd think it would come to you a lot quicker since you've drank plenty of beers coined as "Imperial."

After finding the entry in my Oxford Companion, I simply replied that it means that a beer named as such is intended to be set apart and bolder than others of the same type.

That night I went on thinking about (over a few beers, of course) how that enables anyone, even homebrewers that name their beers, to tell others that their brew is an "Imperial." I thought more of this subject yesterday after coming across something referring to an Imperial Pilsner. Something I've never heard of.

When i used to think of an Imperial, the first thinks to my head were darker brews such as stouts and porters. Some darker pumpkin beers could also be included. Now, it seems as if it's just a loose terms casually thrown around as a marketing ploy. Though, I could be wrong.

If an Imperial beer means that it's just bolder and set apart from its brethren then the circle of anything by said name is limitless. Is it not?