Krampus (Imperial Helles Lager)
Shiny bronze colored with a mountain of sticky off-white froth on top. Lacing comes in sliding sheets. A bready whiff is shoved aside by the resiny, sprucy, pulpy hops, and the juniper/quinine/botanical/citric qualities of gin, complete with the booze hammer. Again, it's thoroughly bready as it scampers across the tongue. There's a nice balance here, at least at first. Hops bring florals, evergreens, resin, and mint. Dankly and loudly. Alcohol rears up later, with a bitter-sourness, and explosions of heat. Thickish mouthfeel, syrupy from the booze quotient. The carbonation gives it levity up front, but eventually dies off, leaving it with all the more sting and burn. There should be something delicate and soft and balanced here, despite the imperialness...and there isn't. Not at all. This doesn't work, despite a glimmer of hope off the bat with its deep breadiness. The hopping is huge to the point of abrasiveness, and the alcohol is beyond even that...pushing obnoxious. The world honestly doesn't need an Imperial Helles. And this isn't one. Call it an Imperial India Pale Lager (semantics...I know), and my gripes are the same. Too big, too dumb, too base, too conflicted, too hot, too unwieldy, and too unmeshed. Too bad.