Krampus (Southern Tier)

I thought I was nearing the end of my holiday beer stash, but found this lager hanging out in the back of my lovely 1960's blue beer fridge. Southern Tier joins the ranks of beers for me that I take for granted. They have a decent track record. Even though they have a great and diverse set of brews, and are continually coming out with new and different recipes, I seem to by-pass them for something else.

General Thoughts

Look and Smell: I was trying to get some good head on this, but it was pretty light. No issue for me though, it was great. Even with the light head, it had good carbonation. It was a pale amber color. It smelled like sour apples.

Taste: This had an earthy taste, it was the hops...earthy hops. It was super bitter. Bitter melon kind of bitter. It was tart at the same time. It had a light after taste with spikes of bitter as I sat there. I know it was too cold, but it was hard to warm up in this weather. As it warmed the bitter mellowed out and the tart balanced it out. It didn't change too much. Not a typical noel-style holiday beer, but didn't claim to be. It's a nice departure from that. I will definitely try to stock this next year for that balance.

From the Southern Tier site:

"are you naughty or nice?

St. Nicholas, aka Santa Claus, is a magical figure, the bringer of gifts and an icon of holiday spirit. Forgotten by most is his evil side kick and enforcer of ‘the list’. European tradition says while St. Nick is busy delivering presents to good little boys and girls, Krampus hands out punishments to the bad. A fanged, goat-horned bully, the Christmas Devil uses sticks and chains to beat the naughty children. Dark malts and aromatic hops create the diabolical spirit of this brew. It is finished with lager yeast and aged cold for no less than 30 days. This Imperial Helles Lager will warm even the darkest hearts.

This season, replace the cookies with a bottle of Krampus. If he happens to pay a visit, toast to him with this devilish brew. Merry Kramp-mas to all, and to all a good pint!

9.3% abv. • 20º plato • Imperial Helles Lager • 22 oz / 1/6 keg"