Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper Imperial Stout is a Christmas in June

We picked up Port Brewing's Christmas beer at their brewery during our San Diego trip because we knew it wouldn't be around long. I'm glad I did. I love the look of a good stout and this one pours beautifully. The label is pretty cute as well, I must say. Included in this picture is one of my favorite Christmas gifts from years ago, a Kangroo Testicles Beer Opener from my brother's semester abroad in Melbourn (this is actually Testicles 2, as our favorite dog sitting canine Kalmari ate the Testicles 1). Still, I had 5 minutes to gather all my things before the great tsunami came, this would be on my list to grab. 

At 10% alcohol, this is more than a little helper. There is a rich oak taste that reallly smooths out the roasted malt flavor. When we visited, their brewery was filled with barrels, much like The Bruery and their oak flavor scratches this stout the right way. Stouts tend to have a bitter taste thanks to the roasted and chocolate malts, but thanks to the oak barrel aging, Little Helper is strong, smooth and rich. As the beer warms, I can taste the alcohol just a snosh. This warmness would be very welcome in the winter. For Christmas in June, it simply tastes awesome. This is one of the better stout's I tasted this year, BAD BOYS rating.

Probst! says the Elf

This is one of those beers which inspire me as a home brewer to try something new. In this case, aging strong, bitter ales made with roasted malts with some oak chips. I've had many barrel aged brews this year, but this one was eye opening. As soon as the summer's heat is over, I'll look forward to brewing something like this for Christmas!