Southern Tier Krampus

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: European Strong Lager
Lakewood, New York USA

22oz bottle snagged out of a back cooler at Simone’s. Nice thing about that place. There is a slow turn around (or a large volume) that goes through, so some semi-off seasonals can still be found there. This one is a nice slightly cloudy amber with a regular cream head. The aroma here is surprising. It has a nice orangy citrus smell, really vital and fresh smelling smooth. Flavor is a nice blend of crisp malt and strong brew. This isn’t an overwhelmingly memorable brew, but goddamn if this isn’t really drinkable and, most importantly, enjoyable. The flavor just gets better and better as it warms up, as would be expected from a craft strong lager. The fruity (yet strong) flavors come together then, mixing some orange with grapefruit. The hops really come together and...well... this almost tastes ale-ish, except for it being smooth around the edges. I would love to see how this could stack up in a blind tasting with some softer American strong ale’s.

22oz Bottle: Coppery orange w/ a small biege head that splits rather fast. Aroma is citrus, spicy hops & kind of peppery. Flavor is initially bitter, very bitter. I attribute that to the fact that I haven’t been drinking lately. Piney hops, a bit of caramel w/ peppery hops finishing things off. Wasn’t expecting all this hoppy goodness, I am pleased...

Large offwhite head, retention is good as is the lace. Hazy gold copper hued brew. Surprisingly big nose, very IPAish with pine, citrus and a hint of malts. Med/full bodied, good carbonation and a bit resiny, biting on the tongue. Flavors follow suit with the aroma though some spices and fruitiness appear. As it warms it reminds you more of a west coast IPA/DIPA. Caramel, grainy malts come through also. Hoppy finish, nice and biting. Had this bottle for awhile and cant imagine the hops being any bigger, purchased it back in the winter. Really amazing actually.

Copper pour with a huge and long-lasting tan head. Light citrus-orange aroma with some grass/hay. Full-bodied for a lager! Sweet tasting with a bit of resinous citrus hoppiness. Middle leads towards a toasty, burnt flavor. Finish is long and bitter. Lingering citrus. Alcohol isn’t that evident except from the warming after you finish a pint. Probably a bit too sweet for my tastes, but a good brew nonetheless.

Nice bomber. Gold pour, wtih a white head. Aroma is sweet with tons of caramel, honey, honey wheat bread, floral and citrus hops. Flavor is both sweet and malty and bitter and hoppy. I got some nice bread notes, caramel malt, citrus hops. This is a nice beer.

22oz bomber served in a shaker. This poured a golden orange color with a two-finger thick head of soapy tan foam. Heavy lacing coated the sides of the glass. The aroma included strong caramel, orange zest, and some freshly mown grass. The flavor had a heavy dose of sweet malt, bread, oranges, grass, and also some bitter grapefruit rind. Thick and chewy malt. The mouthfeel was full-bodied and had mild carbonation. The abundance of hoppy citrus really threw me off. I would have prefered a little more Saaz.

Aroma is strong and sweet with some grassy and metallicness to it. Very earthy with some cooked rice and bitter pine hops. Taste is very bitter and lingers quite a bit. A lot bigger than I expected but it is ST.

i ended up with a couple of these from the local crew... i hate you guys. pours a coppery brown with a slight haze and a soft soapy barely off white sandy head. the lacing is intense and pretty much paints the other side of the glass! the aroma is LOTS OF HOPS!... lots of grapefruit (pith and meat), caramel, light resinous pine, grass, flowers, orange zest... it’s lots and very powerful! the palate is expectedly sweet and brash (oh southern tier!) but it does finish off quite dry and spicy. the flavors show up as sweet pale maltiness, watered down caramel, a carrot with the dirt still on it earthiness, fruit, lots o’ orange zest and a leafy spice filled finish. the aftertaste is nothing but a mouth full of citrus. it is medium full to nearly thick bodied with soft foamy carbonation. it has an insanely creamy mouth feel yet it is prickly and sharp. it numbs the tongue from the abundance of citrus pith-y hops!... yay! but, it is still ridonkulously sweet... boo! 9/5/7/4/15/4