Søgaard Bryghus Julebuk (DEN)

Søgaard is a Danish brewery -- I assume Bryghus means brewhouse -- that has only been around since the middle of the decade. Julebuk is some sort of game children play(ed?) at Christmas time in Denmark, and this is indeed a holiday beer. A "full-bodied German-style bock" with "a "blend of Christmas spices," says to the label.

Sniffing directly from the bottle, I sense ginger and soy sauce. Maybe I was just imaging them, though, because they don't appear at all once poured. Held to the light, the beer reveals that it's more medium than dark brown. The head is big and fluffy. It's medium bodied and lightly carbonated. Julebuk isn't heavily spiced, and I wouldn't assume it was a Chrismas beer if they hadn't said so. To me, it falls somewhere in between a doppelbock and a porter. There's a subtle dessert quality to it -- some milk chocolate, caramel -- but it finishes dry-ish. It doesn't have the roastiness of many porters, nor the licorice notes or alcohol burn often found in doppelbocks.

Julebuk reminds me a bit of Utenos Porter , except that it is much, much more expensive (at least here in the US). So much so, that I will probably never buy Julebuk again, even though it's a pretty tasty brew.