Marin Hoppy Holidaze Ale

Brewed by Marin Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Larkspur, California USA

Dark gold color with a quickly reducing head. Very interesting aroma of spice and delicate hops. Almost apricot. A unique and beautiful beer.

2003 Bottle: Pours a clear golden bronze with a thin, wispy-lacing white head. Aroma of lots of sweet malt, cinnamon, ginger and a touch of honey, very authentic. Body starts with plenty of fizz and a touch of sweetness, giving way to cinnamon and nutmeg along with some tartness toward a drier, lingering spiced finish. Nicely balanced and very drinkable. This seems to have aged fairly well.

Bottled (1994 vintage). Hazy amber colour. Aroma of nutmeg, orange, lemon and papery malt. Dryish with interesting, gently oxidized malt character and sparkling mouthfeel. Low bitterness. Still fresh and alive, I liked it!

Bottle Vintage 1994 @ OMH-tasting
Taste and aroma from warm apple pie. Spicy but a somewhat thin body. Dry and sharp. Intresting beer, but I think it has been matured for a bit too long.

Cloudy amber, vibrant-looking. The aroma is heavily spicy - ginger, orange, cinnamon oils, herbal hop and lightly bready malts. Full cinnamon/ginger taste, mace, some bready malts and soft bitterness. I like where this goes, even if the cinnamon and mace oils are a little heavy-handed.

22oz. bottle shared by Willblake at the Heavyweight Open House. Hazy golden color with a small off white head. Aroma of juniper stood out the most, followed by some sweet baking spices (cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg). Juniper again in the flavor, with some citrus and what reminded me of Asian five spice powder.

01.21.06 Bomber thanks to DarkElf. Glowing amber pour with small beige head. Aroma is a real kick in the pants, and not at all expected with juniper berries, some sudsy dish soap, corriander, vanilla, allspice, and quite yeasty with that. Plenty floral to me, somewhat perfumed, and maybe way overdone...but what the hell, I really liked this stuff. Many who know my affinity for the bizarre should not be surprised. Notes of orange flavored tea mixed in with the floral weirdness. Strange that everyone else at the tasting noted nutmeg, but I did not. Fun beer, thanks Stephen.

Happy Holidaze pours to a beautiful caramel color with a creamy slight tan head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose of this beer is truly joyful. Aromas of sweet malt and spicy hops, marry with a melange of spices, such a cinnamon, nutmeg, with a nice underpinning of vanilla. The palate is rich and delicious with lots of sweet, pale, and caramel malt flavors. This is paired with a nice back drop of nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, and vanilla flavor. Hoppy Holidaze finishes with more great sweet malty flavors up front, then ends with slightly warming, slightly zesty hop bitter, and melange of spices finish. This is a fantastic spiced ale that really features those wonderful spices used so often during the holiday season. The notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, and vanilla can be found in nose, palate, and finish of this beer, and the use of these spices fills one with a sense of holiday cheer. I was very impressed with this beer, it is akin to drinking a slice of mice meat pie. This beer makes the perfect holiday brew to sip and savor with its sweet maltiness, and slightly warming alcohol burn.