Leave this one out for Santa on Christmas Eve, and he won't back it back up your chimney. It's boozier than a Christmas cake that's been steeping since March.
A beer to save for a special occasion, and certainly one that you'd only need to have a couple of in a session to make sure you have a very merry Christmas indeed. Or at least a merry evening.
The stench of liquor is intense. So intense, that it made my eyes water when I made the mistake of taking a big huff of it before pouring. You can almost see the brandy fumes but despite this, there's a sickly sweetness to the aroma too. Once you cut through the booze.
It pours really thick, so thick that it's difficult to agitate a head on the beer. It's deep, rich body is jet black and it coats the mouth in the same way a good brandy does, but with a much thicker mouthfeel.
While initially mainly alcohol from the barrel-aging, the flavour soon develops into a very sweet, but also fruity one that is really reminiscent of Christmas cake. Uncannily so, there's even a touch of almond in the taste that mimics marzipan.
The aftertaste sees the return of the flavour of the brandy, but it's much subtler this time and works well with the lasting sweetness of the beer.
It's tough to describe this one really, other than a chaotic Christmas scene. It centres around Santa, upside down in a big barrel, that is wedged in a Christmas cake. Very descriptive in a 'does what it says on the tin' kind of way.
The addition of giant holly leaves on the front of the can is very effective, as is the addition of other Christmas imagery like the reindeer flying past the moon and the snowman.
It's a delightful can with loads going on, perfect to focus on while you're trying to get through the initial booze haze.
They've pretty much sold out everywhere this year for this one, but we managed to find a couple of them at Dexter and Jones if you're quick - before Santa hoovers them up for his post-Christmas treat!
