New Level Brewing Krampus Christmas Ale Imperial Eggnog Stout – American Double / Imperial Stout at 10.5% ABV | 30 IBU (C$5.08 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Dec-2022, reviewed 4-Dec-2022)
Appearance: clear deep brown with one finger of fluffy beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin ring, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: roasty malts, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (3/5)
We went to the Once Upon a Christmas breakfast buffet at Heritage Park today, so I’m gonna go ahead and call that the official start of Christmas, making this my first seasonal beer of the year. And, hey, what says “Christmas” more than a demon who beats naughty children? This one is a little odd (beyond the whole eggnog thing, which isn’t actually all that much a departure for the style) in that the body and carbonation are both uncharacteristically light (for the style). I tend to complain a lot about excessive sweetness in a beer, but when it comes to the Imperial Stout style, I’m actually fine with sweetness, as long as it’s balanced by a commensurate bitterness, and built on an appropriately thick body. This doesn’t really do any of that. Despite the forbidding dark colouration, it’s not really all that bitter, and in fact the enthusiastic ABV never really factors either. All in all, there’s nothing really wrong here, but I think it’s trying too hard to be something that it’s not. (14/20)
This will be my 5,438th unique Untappd check-in.
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
