Santa's Little Helper
Port Brewing Company in San Marcos, California, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Winter Out of Production|
Score
7.73
|
|
Santa knows who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. This is one seriously naughty but nice beer.
Santa’s Little Helper, our Imperial Stout, starts with an emphasis on dark cocoa and roasted coffee aromatics. The finish lends hints of sweet crystal malt, warming tones of alcohol and a touch of hops, making a perfect accompaniment to leftover fruit cake and sugar cookies.
Hops
MAGNUM AND CENTENNIAL
Original Gravity
1.092
ABV
10%
Santa’s Little Helper, our Imperial Stout, starts with an emphasis on dark cocoa and roasted coffee aromatics. The finish lends hints of sweet crystal malt, warming tones of alcohol and a touch of hops, making a perfect accompaniment to leftover fruit cake and sugar cookies.
Hops
MAGNUM AND CENTENNIAL
Original Gravity
1.092
ABV
10%
Sign up to add a tick or review
8/10
Tried
on 06 Dec 2015
at 15:35
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Black with a small brown head - Sweet malt and wood aroma - Sweet malt body with some woody notes and a nice alcohol heat in the back - Sweet malt and some warma alcohol in hte back - This was real good
Tried
on 05 Sep 2015
at 13:34
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Poured from a 22oz bottle, 2010 vintage. Aroma is malty with balanced roast and chocolate notes. Some light phenolic spice with medium light dark fruit esters of plum and prune. A faint, faded hop note with some light oxidation character of honey and cardboard. A bit of alcohol spice. Pours black with a large, thick, mocha head that exhibits good retention as it recedes slowly. Medium lacing and moderately long legs. Flavor is moderately sweet with quite a bit of chocolate and a bit lighter amount of roast. Some light tobacco and leather notes. Moderate bitterness with a touch of ash. A hint of dark fruit and anise. Medium light alcohol spice. A light cardboard oxidation note in the finish. More dark fruit as it warms. Mouthfeel is medium full bodied with medium carbonation. Low, but present astringency with medium low alcohol warmth. Overall, an alright stout and it has held up surprisingly well with its age. I thought I had sat on this bottle for too long, but it?s still close to its fresh self. Nice malt character with balance of roast and chocolate. Good complimentary fruit and phenolic notes. A bit hot even with its age.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Sep 2015
at 23:53
8.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
650ml bottle. Black color with light brown head. Roasted malty aroma, chocolate, coca, coffee, dark fruits, caramel, light alcohol. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma. Almost full creamy body with soft carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Aug 2015
at 12:37
8/10
Tried
on 14 Jul 2015
at 02:55
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at home. Pours black, nose is chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, sugary, taste is similar, dry, light smoke.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 May 2015
at 07:26
Tried
on 05 Apr 2015
at 12:54
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 8.5
2010 bottle thanks to Eric. Pours a dark brown with medium tan head. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, and brown sugar. Thin mouth with strong booze, dark chocolate, candy sugar, bitter roast finish. Very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Feb 2015
at 07:44
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pitch black with a large, off-white and frothy head. Roasted malts, caramel, chocolate and a tiny bit of liquorice. Moderately sweet and slightly acidic with a long, dry finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Jan 2015
at 10:39
8.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Christmas stout, black with mahogany edges, under a deep beige, medium thick, moussy head. Quite powerful aroma of cured meat and smoked bacon, espresso, bitter chocolate, meat broth, candied figs, banana, vanilla, dry madera wine, grandmother’s sticky candi syrup I still associate with pancakes, black pepper, tobacco, candi sugar, wet leather, chocolate cake, mocha ice cream, blueberries, soy sauce. Refinedly sweet onset, candi syrup accent, candied fruits, pointy and tangy, soft carbo, smooth, oily and thick mouthfeel as usual for the style, yeasty and meaty, wheaty sourish touch and a certain hint of saltiness like liquorice candy, after which thick layers of maltiness unfold, nutty, bitterly chocolatey and roasted, especially in the finish where a thick coffee-like bitterness is confronted with a peppery, spicy, pungent hop bitterness and bourbon-like, warming alcohol; the liquorice-like ’saltiness’ lingers a bit too deep in the background. In all, nothing surprising in the context of its particular style, but - as usual from this brewery - very well crafted and satisfying. Ideal sipper for a cold winter afternoon.
Tried
from Can
on 17 Jan 2015
at 10:12