Santa's Little Helper 2009
Mikkeller ApS

Santa's Little Helper 2009Santa's Little Helper 2009
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From:
Mikkeller ApS
 
Denmark
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
10.9%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.92 | pDev: 11.48%
Reviews:
44
Ratings:
63
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 01, 2016
Added:
Nov 21, 2009
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  5
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Sammy:
Photo of Sammy
Rated by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.55/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Sep 16, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of ScruffySouthpaw
Reviewed by ScruffySouthpaw from New York

3.68/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
Served in a flute glass from a vintage 2009 bottle.

Appearance: Thin brown body, with medium bubbles at best. Head rose to at best maybe 1/8" off the body and seems like almost nada. Head was originally off-white but hard to tell since the brew for obviously reasons lacks carbonation.

Smell: Light notes of yeast and chocolate. Scent as good as it is, is light.

Taste: You can't knock on the taste light mocha and yeast with a bitter hops offset a bit because of its sweetness.

Mouth: Alright thought to judge factoring in the brew is just about seven years old.

Overall: nice find but by the best from Mikkeller. Definitely a unique brew regardless and so happy I actually did find it. Salud!
May 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.84 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 19, 2014
 
Rated: 2.25 by RBorsato from Virginia

Dec 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by afsdan from Colorado

Mar 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JohneHoodlum from Pennsylvania

Dec 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by GRG1313 from California

Oct 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Sep 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

Jul 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by GRUUMSH from Belgium

Jan 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by mjtiernan from New York

Jan 11, 2013
Photo of kawilliams81
Reviewed by kawilliams81 from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Poured fom a 750 ml bottle into a Pipeworks snifter.

A- pours brown with a half finger light tan head. Big trails and blotches speckle the glass.

S- honey, dark fruits, brown sugar, Belgian yeast.

T- sweet amber malts, honey, dark fruits (raisin, black cherry, prunes), some faint spices, and Belgian yeast.

M- medium body and carbonation. Drinks 3-4% lower than the abv.

O- this beer was better than I expected, especially with 3 years on it. Fairly sweet and spices are faint, and no cocoa that I noticed, but a very tasty beer none the less.
Dec 27, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by MatthewWilde from Massachusetts

Dec 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by t0rin0 from California

Oct 29, 2012
Photo of schlimenhaumer
Reviewed by schlimenhaumer from New York

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a nonic pint glass at altitude in Denver. Drinking this in a vertical tasting with Santa’s Little Helper 2011 after a great experience with the 2010 version. Probably not aged in ideal conditions, as I picked this up at a local bottle shop without air conditioning or central heating.

A: Pours a hazy brown caramel color with a substantial off-white head and heavy lacing.

S: Cocoa, nutmeg and Belgian yeast notes that bring out coriander. Appealing and fits the bill for Christmastime.

T: Chocolate up front followed by peppery winter spices and a malty finish. There’s plenty of yeasty complexity here, but I felt that the balance tended too much toward the malty end of the spectrum.

M: Full-bodied and wet without much carbonation at all. Not exceptional, but I expect this may have been a result of the circumstances of its aging.

D: The alcohol is concealed very well in this one, perhaps partly as a result of the aging. It’s smooth and enjoyable, and while it’s not quite as good as the 2010 vintage in my opinion, I would be happy to drink it again.
Jan 21, 2012
Photo of blakelive784
Reviewed by blakelive784 from Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
1 pt 9.4 fl oz bottle serve in a nonic pint glass, reviewed from notes:

A - Pours a murky, dark brown color with one finger of fairly creamy head. Retention is average, but understandable considering the ABV.

S - Toasty caramel, spice (clove?), sweet fruit, heavy yeast, and some cream. Nice aroma all together. Medium strength.

T - Chocolate and toasted malt are more prominent on the tongue. Sweet malt and fruit are countered nicely by pepper and bitter chocolate. The ABV hardly comes through at all. It's got a full array of spices: coriander, clove, and pepper. It's awesomely complex.

M - Medium bodied, smooth, wet, and no appreciable carbonation. It works, but I think it's probably past its prime in this regard.

D - Incredibly well balanced, flavorful, complex and its ABV is hardly detectable. If I have the chance I'll have this one again.
Jan 10, 2012
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
1 pint 9.4 fl oz brown glass bottle with hod and wire cap over a cork served into a nonic pint glass in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live.

A: Pours a two finger head of fair cream, decent thickness, and great retention for the ABV. Colour is a caramel-brown.

Sm: Highly yeasty, with cream, spice, and light chocolate. Musty. Coriander is prominent. Some candied sugar. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Chocolate/cocoa as undertone, with nice cream throughout and pleasant spices atop. Complex and well-bodied. Quite nicely balanced. The yeast is less prominent, but still pleasant and well-suited to the flavours. Caramel. I like the coriander and maybe light cayenne.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with some nice cream. A bit too thin.

Dr: Very drinkable. A lovely little winter ale. I'd definitely have it again. I think it might be best at two years age.
Jan 04, 2012
Photo of PeerlessMark
Reviewed by PeerlessMark from Canada (ON)

4.14/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had this at Bar Volo for $35 a bottle New Years Day 2011.

Even an aggressive pour can't coax any carbonation out of this rarish brew. Quite a lot of delicious sediment containing most of the flavour at the bottom makes this an uneven pour, and much more enjoyable after it warms up a bit and you get about half way through the bottle. Would recommend putting this on its side and rolling it a bit before serving.

Visually it is very dark, almost a dark coal colour with only a few rays of light barely making its way through the glass. No discernible legs on the oversized wine glass I drank it from but it does leave a thin coating on the inside of the glass.

It smells a lot boozier than it tastes. Hard to describe the taste actually, as it warmed up I started getting a better appreciation for its subtle flavours. It was much smoother to drink than I expected. I got a bit of smoke and dark chocolate and the rest blended in too neatly for me to identify individual flavours.

Overall very enjoyable.
Dec 31, 2011
Photo of CuriousMonk
Reviewed by CuriousMonk from District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured vintage 2009 750ml bottle into snifter glass. Pours murky deep brown, with a thin beige head. The nose is meat, gravy, spice, dried fruit, caramel and brown sugar. The taste is brown sugar, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, cola, chocolate, spice, light alcohol warmth, molasses and toasted brown bread. Medium to full body, fine carbonation and slightly sticky mouth-feel. Much better than the 2011 vintage IMO.
Dec 28, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Beerontwowheels from Maryland

Dec 25, 2011
Santa's Little Helper 2009 from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 63 ratings