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.

On A Mission From Puca

Word has it among the family belonging to my father's girlfriend is that her son is heading to Lakewood, New York this weekend to visit a relative. If you're one of the many craft beer enthusiasts out there only one thing comes to mind when you hear that town: Southern Tier Brewing.

Of course my father and I are going to take advantage of this opportunity to bag some loot for ourselves. The best part is we don't physically have to make the trip.

Who knows. Maybe a bottle or two of Pumking (brewed in honor of the Celtic god, Puca) is stuck in a nook or cranny somewhere up there. Maybe even a bottle of Choklat, Eurotrash Pils (which might not be out yet) or Krampus?

One thing is for certain. I should come out of this with that elusive Pumking goblet I've been planning on buying for myself. It's a good thing that we have some of our case of Pumking remaining. Now to actually find a spot for this damn thing.