Nøgne Ø / Jolly Pumpkin / Stone Special Holiday Ale

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Escondido, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

A - Pours a rich cloudy red-black color with a finger of frothy off-white head atop. The head fades down leaving behind some spots of lace. S - The aroma is a wonderful mix of spices including cinnamon and nutmeg with a balancing amount of sweet caramel malt in the background. T - Starts off with the spices from the aroma with the addition of some clove and again a nice balance provided by the sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, the caramel malts get a bit stronger and richer with some brown sugar jumping in as well. The finish is a mix of sweet and spice elements that linger. M - Medium-plus bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth and just a bit syrupy. The spices provide a nice dry mouthfeel, especially at the finish. D - Very drinkable. The spices are very nicely balanced with the malt flavor and they never get too strong.

Bottle, shared with Palme. A special thanks to fellow beer geek Kai-Sindre Solheim who’s not on Ratebeer (but should be) for pulling this one out of the cellar for us to have a triple Special Holiday Ale tasting in the wake of our good times in Copenhagen! :-D Pours a deep, near-black mahogany body with a small off-white head. Aroma is licorice, cough syrup, herbs and deep malty tones with hints of nuts and molasses. In the mouth, there is cough syrup, herbs, hints of juniper, burnt caramel and wood. Complex and flavorful, this is truly a great version of the series.

Bottle, May 2011.

Dark pour, decent head. Deep caramel aroma, heavily spiced with the juniper quite forward. Gentle sweetness, deep roasty flavors pushing into burnt malt territory, enough residual hop bite to keep things crisp. Alcohol is a bit strong in a cough-syrup sort of way. Overall the spices come off a bit overblown, but the beer works pretty nicely nonetheless.

Had as a horizontal with the other two versions. I remember this being much better about a year ago. Had some spices still present. Aroma was kinda bland. A bit sweet.

Bottle at Rattle N Hum. It pours dark ruby brown with the thinnest whisper of tan head. The nose is mint, chocolate, ginger, cinnamon, tangerine, wood and nut. The taste is milk and dark chocolate, mint, liquorice, walnut, Christmas spice and wood. It’s lighter than expected and provides an enjoyable twist on a Christmas ale.

Muddy water color with a compact creamy off white head. Aromas of cola and brown sugar. Complex, rich, with a creamy mouth feel. Reminds me of a quad. Excellent.

355ml bottle from jsprime. pours reddish brown with a small tan head. malty and floral nose. spiced ale flavour. i dontget anyof the walnuts. hint of stone ipa barried under the other stuff.

Tasted on 2/15/11 from a 12oz bottle purchased at Sun Devil, 2008 bottling. Pours dark brown with a hint of amber tint and a thin off-white head that leaves spotty lace and a decent collar of lace after a quick recession. The nose is somewhat muted with a bit of caramel and bread malt, and the sage coming through as the most prominent aroma and the juniper underlying very lightly. As it warms, the malt gets much stronger, and the chestnut and caraway begin to come through as well. The flavor is somewhat sweet with chestnut, caraway, and caramel up front, moving to the more herbal flavors of juniper and earthy sage, and finishing with lightly bitter roasted flavor. The body is medium with lively carbonation and a long bitter and herbal finish. This beer is still showing very nicely, and the alcohol is masked to perfection.

Bottle @ Henrik, Bergen. Pours dark with moderate head. A strong and good malt base with a balanced hop profile. The spices are in here but not as prominent as one would believe. Is it better than the version brewed at Nøgne Ø? It’s different.

Aged 1 year. Dark, ruby-brown color with a thin, off-brown head. Super-aromatic, really an amazing aroma. Unbelievable! Insane in the mouth, this beer is almost plant-like. Strong and very impressive. The same strong, bold body and herbal character carries through to the finish. This is better than I expected... I love it! Spicy, herbal... perfect! A real treat for the holiday season, and unlike just about anything else you’ll find offered, especially from an American brewer. I really enjoyed this...