Outer Banks Santa's Little Sledgehammer

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

Smoky aroma has tones of apple, molasses and burnt licorice plus just a hint of coffee. It pours a barely translucent dark mahogany, like cola with a bit of red in it, with a rather thick and persistent light tan head that leaves some good lacing. Flavor is - Holy Toledo, I think Dasher just kicked me in the tongue! This brew commits assault and battery on the tastebuds with a fairly fierce alcohol bite, as well as firm caramel, molasses, licorice and roast malt notes that reverberate like a fortissimo chord played by the entire orchestra. Hints of cloves, apple and cinnamon round out the scrumptious flavor. Smooth texture has above-average body and a fair amount of lively fizz. Apparently this is available only in North Carolina, and only during the winter holidays. This beer is worth a trip to the Tar Heel State! I saw it at both Tasty Beverage in Raleigh and Brusin' Ales in Asheville.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

well..I really really WANTED to like this. I've had it before on tap and it was fantastic, so I was very excited to see they had bottled some beer. Unfortunately, this batch seems to have gone awry. Nothing positive about it. Despite this, i really respect what this brewery is trying to do...so they will try again and of course I will try again.