Santa's Little Helper 2013 Cognac Barrel
Mikkeller ApS

 

ive always thought this beer begged for a barrel, and its cool they chose cognac. awesome to finally get to drink this one, the 18 bucks it costs was prohibitive for me, but finally i broke down. i think the barrel improves the beer a lot, starting with the feel. it seems to have added the body ive always missed in the base beer, and its mellowed the edges of the booze, even though its stronger. the sugars are less intense too, which was helpful i think, benefiting from more fermentation time. i dont taste quite as much cognac as i smell, but the subtle flavor of it is really nicely integrated, and it adds some awesome depth. works amazingly well with the spice profile, almost seems amplified there, and the darker notes in the malt are accentuated as well. i always thought the base beer lacked a little nuance for what it is, and the cognac barrels really seem to add the missing piece. i would be curious to try other barrel aged variants they make, but this is a worthy beer, an awesome nightcap to a wonderful holiday meal. some of the more unique mikkeller beer out there really.

 

 

 

2013 Vintage Cognac barrel aged. (Roman numerals on the side of the label indicate vintage). Bought on sale after Christmas for $9.95. 375 mL bottle poured into a St. Bernardus Chalice.

Smells of toasted nuts (almond and a touch of hazelnut come to mind) and the classic sugary "dark Belgian ale" aromas that are found so often in big beers in this style. A touch of alcohol and the remains of some yeasty esters (ripe fruit).

Taste is rich and sweet up front. Amaretto, candied almonds, brown sugar, and a faint whiff of bread crust. Not super complex, but quite satisfying and interesting. Perhaps a little butterscotch makes an appearance. This isn't very easy to describe... And I am not sure I taste Cognac or oak per se, but I wonder if that curious (and tasty) almond character is from the barrel and/or oxidation. After letting it warm a bit and swirling out some of the aggressive carbonation, I get much more Cognac, but it isn't as oaky as I would expect. I suppose most Cognac barrels are very old, so maybe the oak wouldn't contribute as much as the residual spirit (in excess of 20 years in many cases, as opposed to 3-5 like most Bourbon barrels).

The feel is on the heavy side of medium bodied with lots of sweetness and a typical "barrel aged" feel (whatever that means, but I think it is a thing). A fair dose of "heat" detracts slightly.

Conclusion: This is a curiosity, and as a bonus, it is the first beer I have tasted that was aged in Cognac barrels. I wouldn't normally shell out even $10 for this as there are still so many other $10 beers I want to try more, but I had a gift card and seeing as how this is normally more like $20 I figured I would give it a go. I am happy I get to try it. If the flavors were bit more assertive I think it would be a wonderful cellar candidate with the sweetness, ABV, and heat to take on the years. However I think it might just thin out in flavor before it accumulated enough age to really shape the flavors. Overall an interesting and unique winter beer.