Marin Hoppy Holidaze Ale

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

Really dug this beer, believe it or not. Not overly spicy. I was hoping for it to not have too much hops, and it didn’t. I was impressed with this. Very refreshing for a holiday spiced ale.

Hazy orange color with a smallish head. Aroma dominated by orange peel, cinnamon, and assorted spices. Flavor was a bit of a bland, spicy mishmash of orange peels and spice. Not terrible, but not all that enjoyable either.

Bottle from Dirty_Martini. Hazy pale body with a tiny white head. The nose is vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and light citrus. The flavor is moderately sweet with orange, cinnamon and nutmeg. Medium body is soft with a thin finish and moderate carbonation.

12-21-07 bottle shared at tasting.
Subtle yeasty wheat smell with hints of honey in there. Decent fruity malt taste. Much thicker on the palate than I expected. Very decent overall.

Shared at tasting with Fly, Dewbrewer, Humulone_Red and others. Thanks guys!
Some apple juice like maltiness in the nose and taste. Somewhat oktoberfest like taste to it. Nice musty maltiness predominantly and I didn’t pick up on the spices or vanilla really. Just ok, I thought.

2006 release, Sampled December 2007
Very well carbonated as a careful pour produces a four-finger thick, light tan colored head that sits a top a brilliantly clear amber hued beer that is just filled with excessive carbonation bubbles. Aromas of spices dominate the nose; nutmeg is the most persistent, but a backdrop of cinnamon is also noticed. Not much else is noticeable in the aroma, though there is perhaps a touch of herbal hop character here.

Lightly sweet, yet with a sharpness that is a combination of spice notes as well as a slight sourness. Dusty nutmeg flavors and flavors of muted cinnamon turn a bit astringent and almost woody as one gets towards the finish. Fairly light, especially for a 7% alcohol beer, this would definitely be an easily quaffed beer if not for the excessive spice notes. Some fruit flavors are noticeable under the spices, with touches of apples and perhaps a hint of pear flavors. Hop flavors add some bitterness as well as some herbal notes that become muddled together with the more powerful spice notes.

This is not a bad beer, it is just not my cup of tea. Too spice dominated, even after a year of age.

Cloudy orange colour with a white head. Malty, fruity, caramel sweet aroma with hoppy notes. Malty, light caramel sweet flavor with fruity and spicy notes.

Orange, white fizzy head. Soft aromas of spicy cinnamon, citrus, and spruced vanilla. Spiced citrus peel rides on light waves of hops and faint chocolate malt flavors. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, spicy hop finish. Not bad, but just doesn’t come together well enough for me. Thanks for sharing Ryan!