Stone/Nøgne Ø/Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale

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

Pours a murky brown color. Nutty spicy aroma. Flavor is nutty again with a caramel sweetness and the finish is a bit sour at first and then that fades to a bitter experience. The sour reminding you jolly pumpkin worked on this and then the bitter hops reminding you of stones presence. An entertaining beer at least.

bottle, 1600th rating - Pours black with a very thin tan head. The aroma is mild at first with the juniper and sage coming out as it warms. The superb flavor is of dark roast malt, bitter chocolate, sage, juniper, and I think some citrus accented hops. Hops and some herbals linger in the pleasant finish of this full bodied brew. Excellent!

Name: Special Holiday Ale
Date: December 24, 2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: South Bay Drugs, San Diego
Appearance: clear dark ruby red, wispy tan head, streaks of drippy lace
Aroma: sweet spicy aroma, dark caramel sweetness, fruity esters, sharp spices, sweet licorice
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, a nice complex array of spices, dark caramel sweetness, spices add an earthy bitterness and balances out most of the sweetness

Name: Special Holiday Ale
Date: January 26, 2009
Mode: bottle
Source: taco mac metro
Aroma: picking up a big dark fruit character in the aroma along with the spices
Flavor: dark caramel malt flavor melds well with the fruity esters, spices stay well in balance

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

dark brown viscous looking beer under a small creamy tan head. fruity(berries) herbal(mint, sage, caraway) aroma. flavors of berries and fresh herbal coolness. warm finish with lingering berry flavors. full bodied with a syrupy texture with the right amount of carbonation.

12oz bottle. Big thanks to lagunitasfan for this brew. Pours dark amber with huge light tan head. Aroma is strong with toasted malt, caraway and juniper berries and fresh herbs. Flavor is much more mellow than the aroma. Tasted light fresh sage and basil with toasted malt, caramel, caraway and juniper. Very interesting brew and big thumbs up to the brewers going outside the box. For such a huge head the mouthfeel is soft and almost cask like. Not something I could drink every day but I definitly enjoyed this brew.

Bottle, thanks to alexanderj. Light brown pour with red hue. Aroma is very light tart fruit that somewhat resembles a fruitbeer from the local brewpub. Some caramel and spicing is noticable as well. Flavor is toasted malt, the same fruit, lots of acidicy with hops and spices in the finish. Complex but not really good.

Deceptively carbonated as a vigorous pour at first doesn’t produce much of a head but then it blossoms into something that overflows the sides of my 25cl tulip glass. I end up with a four finger thick, lightly browned, amber-tan colored head. The beer is a dark, amber tinged, concentrated red color that shows a brilliantly clear, deep ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of toasted malt up front but then quickly picks up a spiciness reminiscent of sweet ginger, a touch of clove, a definite juniper note and a corresponding pine-needle scent. This has an interesting berry note to it (which I suppose is the juniper) and the finish is dominated by a solid, toasted malt character.

Spicy juniper notes dominate the flavor of this beer upon my first sip. The white sage quickly kicks in though with a solid herbal, and turpene rich character in the middle. The caraway isn’t really noticeable overtly like the other two spices, but likely influences my perception of a rye spiciness in the finish. The beer finishes with an herbal, green bitterness that is not from hops alone. The spices also contribute to a sort of menthol like note as well as a touch of anise flavors. The malt provides some caramelized sweetness as well as a toasted malt backbone that reminds me of lightly toasted whole grain bread; as the beer warms a touch of roast character is noticeable at times towards the finish. The malt sweetness accentuates a fruity berry character . A thick, chewy body and a viscous heft are just barely offset by the prickly carbonation; this is definitely a sipping brew.

Not bad, but way too spice dominated, the Juniper seems to be the worst offender as the caraway is quite subtle and the white sage might actually be at a good level but it is hard to tell under all the juniper flavors.

bottle. I really enjoyed this beer. dark hazy pour with thin lasting head. aroma is rich and herbal with spices. smooth and very easy to drink. very well balanced. berries and sage are perfectly placed. The sage stands out with great flavor but not too strong.