Day 10 of the 7th Annual Holiday Beer Advent-ure Calendar

Day 10: Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve 2021

Rogue is known for some solid and some off the wall beers. They once made a beer by harvesting yeast off of their brewmaster’s beard. This one looks right up their alley. No matter how this beer tastes, it wins points for truly a great can. From the website: “Every year, at Santa’s request, we brew a special ale of his choice. The elbow drop, forever known as the Kringle Krusher, and Santa’s love for the confection (rum balls) are the inspiration for this year’s Santa’s Private Reserve.”

Reflections

Ben: Two great beers in a row! Drank this right after the Wolf’s Ridge on the same evening due to a holiday party on day 10, and this followed very nicely. It’s not as boozy or heavy as I thought it’d be. It is only 8.3% and not technically a barrel aged beer (it’s aged on barrel chips in a steel tank) but I was still anticipating some fire in a bad way. You get just enough rum character that it doesn’t come off as alcohol, but almost a coconut or cola character. It compliments the vanilla really well. With the “vanilla flavor” and the use of chips instead of being aged in a barrel, I guess they took a couple short cuts, but it works! 

Julia: I was hesitant to take a sip because it smells super boozy and looks pretty heavy. I did not like it after my first sip. But with each taste after, it grew on me. I taste the vanilla and the hint of rum but it’s not overpowering. It’s warming and cozy but I don’t think I can drink a whole one. I would recommend trying a can and splitting it with a pal. Oh and bonus points for a fun story and really great can!

Adam: Boozy Dr. Pepper! | brown sugar |  vanilla | almond cake | chocolate malt donut | delicious napping beer

Alex: Rogue’s Santa’s Private Reserve definitely tastes boozy. It’s aged in rum barrels, so that explains its booziness. I can also taste some vanilla. The can is also very fun, and had a little story about the beer’s origins for this year.

Scott: The Rogue Kringle Krusher easily wins label of the year. What an amazing graphic, i don’t even need to drink this. But since we are drinking, I have to say I really like this. Good strong Christmas flavor and much more mellow than the initial smell test. Sadly, I forgot to refrigerate before drinking this, but the fact I enjoy this so much despite the room temp should tell you how much I enjoy it.

Christa: Wow, this can is the best can there is. Definitely wins best can. I really like this. It’s very sweet but not overly so, much like yesterday’s beer, I’d say this is very drinkable. It’s a little flat for me but we went a little…rogue… and forgot to refrigerate. BUT, it’s still great so that’s saying something.

Tony: One of the greatest can designs we’ve ever had on the calendar. “Kringle Krusher” is also an amazing name. The beer pours very dark which was a welcome sight for a dark beer fan like myself. They mention elements of vanilla, oak and malt on the can and i think thats very accurate. I get a lot of vanilla up front and then some of the malts and bitterness. In my opinion it all works really well together creating a really enjoyable dark beer. If it werent for the epic can design and name it may not be recognizable as a holiday beer based on flavor alone, but I thought it had great flavor and its definitely worth grabbing a six pack of this one for the holiday season.

Megan: Ooh this is a lovely dark pour. I smell cocoa or coffee. It seems like it would be a rich but not sweet beer. The can is awesome too, how often are you going to see Santa elbow dropping Krampus in a wrestling match?! The backstory is fun too. I would like to try this next year but I’m guessing I’d only want one.

Brad: Absolutely love the can! By far the greatest holiday can of all time, in my opinion. Another heavy 16oz beer though. Heavy vanilla flavor. I like it but I can’t finish the 16oz tonight. Again, stop aging beer in rum and whiskey barrels. I know this is infused with “rum barrel chips,” so not a real barrel, but still. Enough already.

*Edited: I drank more of it and it’s growing on my. Still not my favorite but it’s decent.

Heather:  I love everything about the design and the storytelling on the can. Rogue is so legit. It’s the best when a brand has fun. I like this one a lot. Not like, my favorite thing in the whole world, but it’s highly drinkable. It smells good and has just a tiny bit of sweetness with the vanilla, but is still bold and boozy. I taste a lot of malt, too. The can recommends pairing with Au Gratin potatoes, glazed ham and rum balls and yep, now I want all those things with a chalice of this stuff.