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Santa's Little Helper - Bourbon Barrel Aged
Port Brewing


- From:
- Port Brewing
- California, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 12%
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 3.98 | pDev: 12.81%
- Reviews:
- 203
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 17, 2021
- Added:
- Jul 25, 2009
- Wants:
- 55
- Gots:
- 192
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California
4.31/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.31/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle poured into a snifter
A: Pours dark brown with a frothy tan head that settles to a light layer and leaves a little nice lacing.
S: Big brown sugar, toffee, and smooth bourbon, peppery spice, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, a little earthiness, and light of herbal pepper minty notes.
T: Roasty, smooth bourbon, brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate, a touch of peppermint, earthy slightly herbal notes, and a little coffee.
M: Full body, mild carbonation, creamy smooth, with just a touch of warmth.
O: This bottle has some years on it. I'm not sure exactly how many, at least 3+, and it's aged well. I'm drinking it side by side with the standard and the bourbon barrels bring so much more to the table. Perfect on a cold December night.
Dec 31, 2020A: Pours dark brown with a frothy tan head that settles to a light layer and leaves a little nice lacing.
S: Big brown sugar, toffee, and smooth bourbon, peppery spice, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, a little earthiness, and light of herbal pepper minty notes.
T: Roasty, smooth bourbon, brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate, a touch of peppermint, earthy slightly herbal notes, and a little coffee.
M: Full body, mild carbonation, creamy smooth, with just a touch of warmth.
O: This bottle has some years on it. I'm not sure exactly how many, at least 3+, and it's aged well. I'm drinking it side by side with the standard and the bourbon barrels bring so much more to the table. Perfect on a cold December night.
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
3.88/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.88/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Somehow missed this one from the past. Tons of bourbon all the way through the taste and smell. Molasses, coffee, dark chocolate, slight vanilla and licorice all present. Not the heaviest, in fact pretty dry and thin for an imperial stout. Booze is so powerful, begins to burn as you go down the glass. Like the regular version better
Jan 15, 2019Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand
3.79/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Dark brown to black with a quarter finger of beige head.
Smells of black liquorice, molasses, soy sauce, umami, brown sugar and a hint of vanilla.
Tastes of umami, soy sauce, and black liquorice. I get a bit of the bourbon barrel but its really faint.
Thick, syrupy, oily body with moderate to low carbonation. Burn in the throat.
Got this at Liquor Barn this evening, drinking in Redding, Dec 1st, 2018. Same same, I don't know why I keep trying some of these imperial stouts, but there it is.
Dec 02, 2018Smells of black liquorice, molasses, soy sauce, umami, brown sugar and a hint of vanilla.
Tastes of umami, soy sauce, and black liquorice. I get a bit of the bourbon barrel but its really faint.
Thick, syrupy, oily body with moderate to low carbonation. Burn in the throat.
Got this at Liquor Barn this evening, drinking in Redding, Dec 1st, 2018. Same same, I don't know why I keep trying some of these imperial stouts, but there it is.
Reviewed by monkist from Hungary
5/5 rDev +25.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +25.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Now this is something amazing!
Port Brewing makes outstanding beers and make wonder out of imperial stouts and porters, just like Old Viscosity (that is one of the best imperial stouts I have ever had).
Here we are again with the Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Stout and it is just stunning. Pitch black, thick like tar, smells boozy at 12% ABV. The taste is very intense full of sweet caramellized malts - not sure about hops though but there is quite a distinct taste to it, which is perhaps to the combination of the malts and no hops, as we are talking about a truly imperial stout.
I mean, here we are in SoCal where you would look for (imperial pale) ales but Port can make a heavy stout that suits the all-year-long-summers and not just winters.
An instant classic, from the moment you pull the cork.
Mar 31, 2018Port Brewing makes outstanding beers and make wonder out of imperial stouts and porters, just like Old Viscosity (that is one of the best imperial stouts I have ever had).
Here we are again with the Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Stout and it is just stunning. Pitch black, thick like tar, smells boozy at 12% ABV. The taste is very intense full of sweet caramellized malts - not sure about hops though but there is quite a distinct taste to it, which is perhaps to the combination of the malts and no hops, as we are talking about a truly imperial stout.
I mean, here we are in SoCal where you would look for (imperial pale) ales but Port can make a heavy stout that suits the all-year-long-summers and not just winters.
An instant classic, from the moment you pull the cork.
Reviewed by bret717 from Pennsylvania
4.15/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.15/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a snifter after being out of the fridge for 15 minutes. I think this is a vintage 2014, but the date is smudged so I'm not sure.
Look- Pours pitch black with a thin tan head and minimal lacing. Some tan sediment settled on the bottom of the glass
Aroma- mostly chocolate with some black licorice and bourbon
Taste- follows the nose in that it's predominantly chocolate with bourbon and some roast, black licorice and vanilla rounding things out. Bourbon and and very mild bitterness from the roast linger in the aftertaste
Feel- medium bodied and creamy. Moderate carbonation
Overall- this was very pleasant to drink with full, smooth and balanced flavors.
Dec 25, 2017Look- Pours pitch black with a thin tan head and minimal lacing. Some tan sediment settled on the bottom of the glass
Aroma- mostly chocolate with some black licorice and bourbon
Taste- follows the nose in that it's predominantly chocolate with bourbon and some roast, black licorice and vanilla rounding things out. Bourbon and and very mild bitterness from the roast linger in the aftertaste
Feel- medium bodied and creamy. Moderate carbonation
Overall- this was very pleasant to drink with full, smooth and balanced flavors.
Reviewed by PBRmeasap1980 from Indiana
4.22/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.22/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Black
S- Chocolate and bourbon. Smells great
T- Bourbon and cola, kind of overly sweet like cola
F- Medium thin
O- Good but not great. I don't think I would seek it out again.
Nov 16, 2017S- Chocolate and bourbon. Smells great
T- Bourbon and cola, kind of overly sweet like cola
F- Medium thin
O- Good but not great. I don't think I would seek it out again.
Santa's Little Helper - Bourbon Barrel Aged from Port Brewing
Beer rating:
89 out of
100 with
653 ratings
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