Stone/Nøgne Ø/Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Escondido, California USA

From a 12 oz bottle purchased at Stone. Aroma is full of spice, like a Christmas tree and ginger bread cookies in a blender. A deep ruby color, almost brown with a thin, dense tan head. Thick pour that clings to glass and has nice lacing. Juniper berries come through first followed by the roasty/chocolaty malt, before the sage and caraway take over. Thick and chewy with lower carbonation. This would be fantastic with a hearty holiday meal and should improve and mellow with age. I’ll open my other bottle next Christmas.

Bottle: Poured a deep clear burgundy color ale with a rather large foamy head with good retention and good lacing. Taste is nice mix between a sweet malt base with some light spices which may included cinnamon. Body is quite full with some creamy notes and with great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I would have personally prefer for the spice mix to be more present but still enjoyable nonetheless.

Bottle (12oz) from T-Boys. Dark amber, think white/beige head... aroma is toffee, almond/nutty, and spice, but the spices are more subdued than other spiced ales I’ve had. Taste moves from creamy malt, nuts and even mulled wine to a decent hop finish...and the aftertaste contains more spice, cinnamon and something a bit sweet. Not bad at all.

red-brown pour, topped with thin white wisps aroma is spice (cinnamon and whatnot), floral hops, and fruit (peach?) fairly thick mouthfeel (though medium bodied), very oily/creamy very hoppy taste, but not too bitter, some indistinguishable spices also finish is very interesting, fairly bitter, nutty, and again with some of those random flavors

Pours a clear amber, copper with thick thick tan-colored head. Aroma is strong roasted nuts (chestnuts), nutmeg and nutty pumpkin with hints of clove. Flavor is creamy hops. There are pine flavors set off off by caramelized sugar and cinnamon. Body is fair with medium carbonation but more light than anything.

Bottle Pours out a brown with some red highs topped with a tan head. Aroma was spice and nuts. Tast was of more spice and just plain crazy. This was a very tast and different brew.

Definitely a lot of refined spices on this beer, a little exotic on the nose. Caramel, pear, lilac and spices. Thick palate, slick finish. Roasted nuts, tobacco, pine. Really an interesting and well-constructed beer. The heavy mouthfeel really allows those flavors to hit the palate with a lot of weight.

Bottle courtesy of fiver29 – thanks John! Pours a clear dark amber with a huge 3 finger tan head that results in great delicate lacing. The nose is ginger, cinnamon, caramel and floral hops. The taste is ripe fruits, burnt caramel and spice with a citrus hop finish. Medium body – interesting beer. Thanks again John!