Stone/Nøgne Ø/Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale

12oz bottle from last year. Lovely little dark rosey brown pour with a smallish off-white head. Aroma was muted initially, but blossomed to the lovely scent of a late harvest herb garden out the back of a bakery. Flavor profile expanded upon this with a bit of spice but mostly some caramel and fruit cake. Finish was by far the best part with an off-dry, caraway mouth coating. Quite lovely!

Bottle. Pours a brownish amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity spicy caramel aroma. Sweetish malty spicy flavor. Has a sweetish malty spicy finish.

Bottled. Poured rich, medium-darker coppery-brown with a short cap of off-white head. The aroma picked up sage, caraway seeds, and nutmeg over a sweet nutty and molasses base.. brighter juniper and minty notes on the back of the nose.. warm and dark overall impression. The flavor found the molasses again at the core along with honey, black licorice, and vanilla.. the spices also hit hard, with juniper and sage stealing the show.. mostly molasses and licorice on the finish with sage and alcohol warmth. Medium-plus bodied with a thick feel on the palate.. the malts were substantial enough to stand up to the spices, but there was just a little too much of everything (could’ve used a little more subtlety). Very good stuff.

12oz bottle thanks to Pantanap. Pours a deep dark brown. Awesome aroma. Similar to an english barley wine with malt complexity and depth that I did not expect. Huge chestnut and mint aromas. Crazy crazy nose. Flavor is a bit more subdued and lacks the huge malt complexity of the aroma. However some cool juniper flavors with hints of chestnut, vanilla and brown sugar. Light bitterness but this is mostly malt forward. This is a year old so it may have been more bitter when it was first brewed. Great beer.

On tap at Olympen. It poured a pitch black colour with a medium big light brown foamy head that settled down fast in the glass. Aroma is spicy with notes of coffee and roasted malts. Flavour is sweet and malty. notes of hops, coffee, dark Cocoa or chocolate and some liqorice. Long and lingering aftertaste.

På kran på Olympen, Oslo 19 Okt 09. Mørk brun på farge. Skummet flatet nesten helt ut. Krydret aroma. Kompleks. Smaken likeså. Krydder & bær. Avslutningen er langvarig: Mye frukt. Antydning til bitterhet etterhvert.

12 fl oz bottle at Cardinal, Stavanger. Brown reddish color, moderate beige head. Aroma is spicy and sweet malty. Flavor is spicy, with hops, bitterness, fine sweetness, orange. Smooth and very nice beer.

Very dark red/brown color with a medium head. Definitely a spicy aroma, but hard to nail any particulars down. Sage stands out most. Thick and chewy malt flavor. Caramel and brown sugar. Sage is the strongest, but juniper certainly shows up. Lightly yeast. Really a nice, different, tasty Christmas brew.