Mikkeller Santas Little Helper 2006

Mikkeller
Formerly brewed at Gourmetbryggeriet (Harboe)
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Copenhagen V, Denmark

Amber of color with a nice beige head. An aroma of malt, bread, weak hops and spice, sweets and toffee. A flavor of malt, toffee and spice.

Thick creamy light brown diminishing head. Brown hazy body. Aroma of malt, nutty and caramel. Thick texture. The taste is heavy sweet and light bitter.

13-DEC-2009, bottle @Erik, brought by Gert. Tasted blind. Dark amber, nice head. Lovely nose with a great deal of alcohol. What is this beer? Not a barley wine although there are some of the signs. A tad less intense on the nose than I would expect a barley wine. It is malty, though not very roasted. A little thin on the ending, but nice smooth beer, that seems a bit understated. Like something is waiting underneath, but just not comes out. The bottle is revealed and what a surprise! My guess was barley wine, but I see it is just an old beer. Did they change the recipe that much over the years or is it mostly due to age? Well in no way too old, but I guess this was a better beer a year or two ago?

Bottled (0,66 ltr, Pikkulintu)
Hazy dark ruby color, steady creamy off-white head. Oxidezed vintage aroma, somewhat similar to Nils Oscar Jul Öl 2004 I had earlier same day: vanilla, some dark fruits. A bit thin already. Some dark malts, toffee, light hoppyness. It’s still a good beer, but hops and malts are much lighter than eg. a year ago.

Rating #1600. Bottle. Hazy amber body with a creamy longlasting off white head. Heavy malty aroma with lovely abt yeasty notes and x-mas spices. Dark molasses and dried dark fruit. Sweet malty flavour with a lick of spices and rip fruit. Ends up fruity and bit alcoholic. Very nice.

Bomber, dated 00/00/2006.. weird. Poured clear coppery-amber with a short, somewhat loose-bubbled beige head. The aroma picked up rich, toffee, dark fruits, and molasses amplified by a spicy alcohol presence and a yeast I know I’ve picked up in other Mikkeller stuff.. a touch medicinal on the back, and this came close, but didn’t quite jive. The flavor found more of the molasses and dark fruit at the core with sharp fruity bitterness, warm spices, and medicinal boozage around.. sharp through the finish. Medium-bodied, but with a much lighter feel than I would’ve liked.. sharp overall, and it really didn’t come together.. bummer.

Mostly clear rust colored body with a small brown sugar colored head. Semi-sweet nose contains some small hints of whatever herbs or spices were added, but mostly there’s an unnecessary medical/nutrisweet note. Flavor isn’t much different - difficult to get over medicinal/chemical flavors, some twang, some caramel malt, some muted spices. Doesn’t come together into anything good. Body is syrupy up front but thinning in the middle, spices are a mess, malt body is a mess. Awful.