Kringle
Buffalo Brewpub

 

Tried this at the brewpub last night. I have been unimpressed with their beer thus far with the exception of their Oatmeal Stout, and I made a mistake by not trying a sample of this brew first. I have been in the winter/spiced ale mood lately and hoped this would be a decent offering. I'm not even sure if this is the same beer that has been reviewed already-it was described at the pub as a spiced winter/Christmas ale. Here it goes-

I had high hopes and was excited with the appearance of this brew as it was placed on the bar in front of me. Deep, dark brown, chocolate color with a very thick and creamy looking head atop. The aroma is where things started to go wrong. I detected a weird, sprucy, minty, medicinal aroma coming off this with maybe a hint of chocolate malt trying to sneak through-not pleasing in the least. I managed to get three sips down, and by the third one, I realized what this beer tastes like - cherry cough syrup. I don't know if there was any cherry extract/flavorings used in the brewing process, but cherry cough syrup is exactly what it reminded me of. There was not a pleasant flavor to be found anywhere in this beer. On a good note, the mouthfeel was good with a nice creamy, full body. Could not even finish the pint, so drinkability gets the lowest possible. I will not try this beer again unless I know they have drastically changed the recipe.

Every time I go to the Buffalo Brewpub, I give at least one of their house brews a try. Usually I am disappointed, but once in a while I try something that I like. I don't know what they were going for with this ale, and I don't think it displays any characteristics of an American Porter except for the appearance. I could not even drink a pint of this ale, which for me is very rare. I enjoy a very wide variety of beer styles and will try just about anything. I returned the pint to the bar, and the bartender was kind enough to replace it with another house brew-which I was very appreciative of. The replacement was their bock, and it was much better. I would stay away from the Kringle unless you enjoy Nyquil.

I took a chance on ordering this brew last night from the Buffalo brewpub their wares to this point to put it nicely were a little underwhelming but this was a bit better.Poured a deep dark brown bordering on black a thinner beige head is gone quickly,deep chocolate and roasty aromas the chocolate was almost over the top.Chocolate again was dominant on the palate with some coffee-like flavors with a touch of earth in the finish.Easily the best brew from this place I have had it has some complexity and is flavorful but the chocolate may become a bit much after one pint.