Santa's Little Helper with Hazelnut & Coffee
Port Brewing Company

 

 

great xmas beer full of malt , and coffee flavors - nice after taste of hazelnut - this is from xmas 2022 always a great beer to have during Christmas get togethers

No obvious date - poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter.

Clear seal brown liquid with fulvous highlights and a small beige cap receding to a lasting collar and surface slick. Fine sandy lacing, thin sticky legs.

Lovely aroma - potent roasty malt base with the coffee and hazelnuts blending perfectly.

Rich roast malt and French roast coffee on the palate - tobacco, burnt sugar, faint licorice and molasses. Mild bitterness, with faint citrus (chocolate orange)/pine notes. Medium-dry nutty finish with a touch of ceylon and spice.

Medium bodied, fairly prominent alcohol, though not fusel. Slightly fizzy, though not over-carbonated.

Very good imperial stout with the additional flavors adding interest and balance.

Hazelnut can work absolute wonders in a nice big stout, but it’s a delicate balance that needs to be followed. That being said, I always try to pick up the hazelnut beers that I can find since it has the chance of being a gem. Let’s crack this one open and find out if it is

Pours a very dark brown with 2 fingers ig tan head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves decent lacing

Oh yeah, the hazelnut is suowr authentic in the nose here. I’m picking up on aromas of roasty hazelnut, sweetened coffee, caramel cookie, chocolate malt, raisin, and light toast

The roast from every element really takes over in the taste, and I enjoy it quite a bit. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting roasty coffee, sweet vanilla, roasty hazelnut, rich caramel, raisin, and an odd touch of mint. The swallow brings notes of highly acidic coffee, roasty hzelnut, chocolate malt, rich toffee, and light toast

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a surprisingly crisp beer. Finishes off dry with a sharpness that mellows out over time

This is a great beer, tons of hazelnut but not overwhelming. I hope they make this variant again

 

 

 

The hazelnuts and the roast blend well in both the nose and the flavor of this variant.

However tasty this offering may be, I still miss the big bold acerbic roastiness of the base beer.