Southern Tier Krampus

Bottle: Poured a medium orangey color lager with a large pure white frothy head with great retention and very good lacing. Aroma orange and dry European hops is quite enjoyable with some light phenols notes. Taste is a balance between some sweet malt with notes of fry European hops, light phenols and some orange notes – quite particular overall. Body is quite full with great carbonation and no signs of the alcohol. Interesting experiment overall thought not something I would drink every day.

Poured a translucent orange with a thick white head. Aroma is spice, litchi fruit, tangerine, toastiness. Flavor is sweet tangerine/litchi fruitiness, toasty biscuity malts, grapefruit, yeast, and a spicy bite. There’s some warm alcohol on the finish, but I wouldn’t have guessed this was as high as 9%. It’s easy to drink for a 9%, but very bold and complex.

bomber - clear, dark copper with bubbly white head fading to the edges; sweet aromas of sugary hops, yeast, lemons and grains; crisp and bitter; thin bodied but full of flavor; drinks like an imperial pale ale; smooth, tasty; good stuff when fresh

In short: An original fluffy big rich caramelized floral lager. Different, surprisingly refreshing and just plain kick-ass when fresh
How: Bottle 22oz. Consumed fresh a few days after purchase.
The look: Cloudy dark orange topped by a large beige head
In long: The very aromatic nose is floral and citrusy with notes of rich caramel. Smelling this beer is like smelling a freshly baked fruity dessert cake with a bouquet of flowers. Kick-ass body that is full, fluffy, lively, cotton candy and pillowy, a definite 5/5 to me. Taste is surprisingly refreshing given the gravity and full body nature of the beer. Lots of biscuits/cookies, rich caramel, toffee, refreshing citrusy hops, a little resinous, light grapefruit, some walnuts, some berries. There is very little bitterness to be found here and I found totally appropriate. Drinks like a 5% brew. I drank my 22oz in about five minutes and would have liked to drink a few more. I’ve had quite a few beer in my life and this one took me to unfamiliar territories in ways a list of flavour elements cannot describe. I suspect this doesn’t age well because there was this unwordable freshness character in my bottle that I suspect really had to do with freshness. Described on the label as an Imperial Helles Lager. And to be honest I don’t really know what an Imperial Helles is supposed to taste like, and Southern Tier takes more liberty with beer styles than Roman Polanski with teenage girls.

I never would have guessed this was a lager. Nice aroma of citrus and pine. Amber in color with a big fluffy head that stays around til the end. Very well balanced with sweet malt up front and a nice hop bite at the end. Very warming also.

Bomber. Hazy golden amber body. Big, pillowy white head. with lots of lacing. Very nice hoppy aroma of resin and pine with hints of citrus, toffee and alcohol. Some bready malts below the hops aromas. Some spiciness, but that seems mild. The flavor is lightly to moderately sweet and moderately bitter. It finishes lightly sweet and moderately bitter. Lots of hoppy tastes along with a strong alcoholic finish as the beer warms — almost mediciny. Medium body, watery to smooth texture, lively carbonation. Hops show enough complexity in the aroma and flavors to keep the beer interesting and to keep the underlying sweetness and spiciness in check. The peppery alcohol may be too forward, but not enough to ruin the good qualities.

The appearance is hazy burnt orange with some clarity. Massive snow-white head. Still waters, sticky lace. The initial smell is a blast of flowery hops. Shades of a spicy, pilsnery hop too. Pale malts. Citrus and pine. Hops evolve. Citrusy and incredible. The taste is first a load of citrusy hops, with a base of pale malts and also some sweetly dark caramel. Really sticks on the palate: starts citrusy, spicy and hoppy; ends roasted and smooth. Ages a bit sour. A little bite to go with a crisp, fizzy feel. Somewhat creamy. Great for style. I really like this beer. The hops are complex and great. The malts put out the fizzy fire.

Poured a deep orange with large white head. Nose was sweet malt and citrus/pine hops. Flavor is a smooth sweetness, grapes, floral hops and pine. ABV is well hidden. Had no clue it was 9% until now.