Port Brewing Santas Little Helper

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

Serve in Snifter

66 oz bottle @ home, bottle from trade with Jeffo1. Pitch black color, big thick creamy light brown head that’s fully lasting. Smell malts, roasted malts, some coffee, hops, slightly alcohol. Taste roasted malts, coffee, hints of mocca, hops, bitter and a little bit of alcohol. Very nice balance, very nice beer! Good mouthfeel, medium to full body, medium carbonation.

bomber. dark and smooth. pretty delicious. dig this winter seasonal.....wish it wasn’t seasonal. appreciate the long bitter finish.

Black pour with billowy tan head. Very smokey nose. Body is heavy, smokey, roasted malts, bitter chocolate and coco. Very heavy and rich. This would be amazing in a milk shake or over ice cream! Finish is dry bitter and a little boozy. Definitely too heavy to drink with regularity.

2009 edition. Multiple pours from a 22 oz. bottle, consumed on 1-27-12. Toast, apple, orange, tar, charcoal, toffee, and plum scents. Grassy and vegetal aroma. Pours dark brown with a small amount of short-lasting, tan head. Light, wispy lacing. Nice, dark, almost purple color, but there’s nothing special to the appearance. Dark chocolate, lemon, tobacco, and caramel flavors. Chalky, dusty, dry finish. Alcohol taste lightly evident, especially in the finish. Improves as it warms. Roasted, bitter aftertaste. Medium to heavy body. Sharp and lively in the palate. Easy to drink for the style. Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper Imperial Stout 2009 is quite nice but all too ordinary; it’s certainly a pleasant drink but not an amazing one. It’s easy to make a good beer in the imperial stout style. Heck, it doesn’t seem all that hard to make a great beer in the style; a lot of brewers do it. This does not rise to the level of a great beer. Thus, it stands as a disappointment even though it is a good brew.

Pours almost black with a nice think creamy head. Aroma is solid with a subtle malty notes with a decent amount going on. Taste is top notch for an imperial stout, but leaves a little more bitterness in the end than I prefer.

Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper is a pitch black ale with a thick, lumpy, waxy light brown head that has eternal retention. The aroma is very roasty and perhaps ashy. There is a note of licorice and something fruity-- maybe cherry. More smells come out as it sits, like mint and vanilla. It’s quite full bodied, very soft and smooth. The finish is clean and delicate. Wow, this is a really smooth flavor. There’s no sweetness in play here. It’s roasty but without any coffee flavor. There’s a touch of licorice and caramel. The aftertaste is kind of like toffee... but without the sweetness. The flavors are really melded to make a single, simple taste. It’s moderately bitter and the bitterness hangs around for a while after the swallow. This is along the lines of a Pennsylvania style imperial stout. It’s very full flavored, but it can be just guzzled at room temperature. Thanks to Josh and Lisa (and ask4jenny) for this one.

Pours black with a fingers worth of creamy brown head. Nose is light chocolate, roasted malts, and some vanilla. Nice thick chocolate flavor, coffee, earthiness, and roast. Rich mouthfeel, touch of warm alcohol and bitter finish. Not too shabby.

Poured from a draft into a snifter at Toronado in San Diego, Calif. Color was black. Minimal head. Grayish tan lacing on the top. Uneven film on the sides. Smelled like caramel malts. Also toffee and chocolate. Tasted dark chocolate with some coffee in there. Very, very smooth. Fantastic. Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. Really liked this beer. Smooth rules the day here.