Outer Banks Santa’s Little Sledgehammer

Brewed by Outer Banks Brewing Station
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle from Bruisin Ales. Pours coke brown with an inch of khaki foam. Big sugar and raisin on the nose. Lots of sweetness and spice on the tongue. The person who said that if coke was a beer it would be this isn’t far off. There’s a bit of an alcohol burn in the finish.

Smoky aroma has tones of apple, molasses and burnt licorice plus just a hint of coffee. It pours a barely translucent dark mahogany, like cola with a bit of red in it, with a rather thick and persistent light tan head that leaves some good lacing. Flavor is - Holy Toledo, I think Dasher just kicked me in the tongue! This brew commits assault and battery on the tastebuds with a fairly fierce alcohol bite, as well as firm caramel, molasses, licorice and roast malt notes that reverberate like a fortissimo chord played by the entire orchestra. Hints of cloves, apple and cinnamon round out the scrumptious flavor. Smooth texture has above-average body and a fair amount of lively fizz. Apparently this is available only in North Carolina, and only during the winter holidays. This beer is worth a trip to the Tar Heel State! I saw it at both Tasty Beverage in Raleigh and Brusin’ Ales in Asheville.

500 ml from Bruisin Ales. Big sweet and sticky Xmas beer. Lots of sugar and taste of dates. Nice.

500 mL bottle purchased at Outer Banks Brewing Station (2010 bottle). Dark brown cola-like pour with minimal carbonation. The aroma is mostly sweet candi sugar with a hint of peppercorn. As this sits for a moment the candi sugar comes through even more and is likened to bubblegum. The flavor is somewhat unique with layers of licorice, bubblegum, and light hops. This is not far off from what a cola might taste like. Certainly unique.

500ml bottle from Chip’s in Kill Devil Hills. Pours clear reddish-copper with a huge, lasting light beige head. Aroma is spices, mainly ginger, coriander, and cinnamon, with orange peel with sweet caramel malt. Flavor is sweet and spicy with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger, as well as orange peel and sweet caramel malt. Not much hop character at all. Medium-full and smooth on the palate. A surprisingly good beer from OBBS. Good pairing with carrot cake for dessert.

Bottle. Poured a dark caramel with a thin white head. Interesting spicy nose. Strong Rosemary note. Flavor follows the nose. It’s like a porter with spices but the spices really carry the flavor. It’s a nice sipper. The finish comes back to the nose with the rosemary. Weird but good. Thanks chris.

Growler from the brewpub courtesy of ruskiimperial on 07/07/2009. Clear dark amber body with ruby highlights and a medium creamy tan head. Big spice, orange, anise, molassas aroma. Sweet fruity flavor, some orange, more spice, a touch of gingerbread. Medium body with moderately low carbonation. Hides the alcohol really well, with only a touch of warming.

On tap 07-15-09 at brewery. I really liked this one. Dark red color was great for the "Christmas in July" ad. The Belgian candy sugar was prominent along with some ginger. Nice alcohol warmth keeps you wanting more and more. Would love to have more of this without the 12 hour drive!

Dark red color with a small head. Aroma is sweet with some alcohol. Flavor is very strong with an alcohol warmth. Some spices are present with a bit of hops. Very nice finish for such a strong ale.

(Sample Date: 7/7/2009 Source:Other) Sample from growler courtesy of ruskiimperial. Spicy ginger bread and orange over lots of caramel in aroma. Clear dark orange/amber. Fairly light body for a big beer. Lots of spicy ginger, caramel, and orange in flavor backed by caramelized sugar sweetness. I got hints of juniper berries. Finish is dry and spicy. Very tasty beer.