Port Brewing Santas Little Helper Barrel Aged

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Imperial Stout
San Marcos, California USA

Bottle @ Hj Hansen, Odense. Pours pitch black with a small bubbly dark brown head. Aroma immediately reminded me of Bourbon county stout. Wood, roast, bourbon, chocolate, soy sauce, vanilla and coffee. Dammnn nice first impression. Though the carbonation is low the palate is soft, smooth and full. Oily and sticky. Warm, roasted coffee, bourbon, wood, vanilla and chocolate flavor. Long finish. Complex. Delicious!

Bottled. A pitch black beer with only a rim of brown head. The aroma has strong notes of wood, bourbon, soy sauce, alcohol, and roasted malt. The flavor is sweet with strong notes of alcohol, bourbon, roasted malt, wood, and oatmeal, as well as medium notes of vanilla, leading to a dry roasted, alcoholic, and woody finish. The alcohol tickles the tongue.

13-DEC-2009, bottle @Erik, brought by Gert. Tasted blind. Dark as night, low brown head. Lovely nose - definetely barrel aged. Mint, hops, bitter, roasted. Pronounced barrel taste, very very smooth - rally amazing smoothness and low carbonation. Fantastic beer, thank you, Gert.

Bottled. Pitch black coloured. Very small fluffy brown head, which vanishes quickly. Aroma is full of bourbon barrel, vanilla, wood, light roast, sweetness and some cocoa. Light roast, vanilla, wood, bourbon, light sweetness, light liqourice, a tad of alcohol and some apply notes. Medium to full bodied. Ends on a spicy and light roasty bourbon barrel end. Dense alcholwarming on lips and palate. Quite nice, but very dominated by the bourbon barrel. Not that complex, but still quite drinkable. I´m definately more fond of the ordinary version.

(Bottle at Pikkulintu) Poured black with hardly any head. Aroma contained vanilla, roastedness and plum. Palate was full bodied, oily and dry with low carbonation. Flavours were roastedness, vanilla, chocolate, alcohol, lightly ash, low bitterness and cocoa. Aftertaste was ashy and bitter.

Almost black with no head. Intensely sweet aroma with loads of vanilla, some oakiness, dried fruit and caramel syrup. Very sweet, but quite delicious (in small doses) flavor has vanilla, lots of malt and sugary syrup. Even reminds me of the 1995 Samichlaus - although it didn’t have the vanilla. Very full body, not much carbonation. An intensely sweet, but as such a pretty enjoyable brew. You’ll wanna share the bottle, though.

Still, black pour. A few stray brown bubbles pop up on the sides. Aroma of bourbon, chocolate mousse, wood. Flavor is absolutely great. Nice balance of chocolate and bourbon. Mouthfeel is very close to flat. This would be an exceptional beer if it had a better mouthfeel. The almost flat mouthfeel makes it seem watery. Too bad it’s flat.

Thanks to Cheeseman for the taste, though this was a total disappointment. Pour is completely still. No carbonation at all. Aroma is strong of cheap bourbon, chocolate and wood. Mouthfeel is thin and almost watery. If it wasn’t for the overpowering bourbon flavor, I’d almost think it was a watered down stout. The flavor finishes with a weird acidic bitterness that I don’t enjoy at all. This is not good.