Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #9

Brewed by Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Houston, Texas USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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Yep, that is right, I am giving this one as close to perfect as I have come across in a while. This is after just one bottle, so if I see that it changes, I will alter accordingly. Drank at a perfect 52*~55*. Poured deep dark and nose of chocolate and spice and pumpkin. Very, very flavorful and rich. No heat from the alcohol at all. Yet very warming, I do believe that drinking this at the right temp is really, really important.

Deep black color in the glass. Incredibly complex nose with vanilla, nutmeg, and other spices that remind me of the smell of gingerbread cookies or pumpkin pie. The palate is rich, full-bodied, and has a nice array of spices.

I wanted and tried to like this. Honest I did. Was I excited about a pumpkin beer? No. Did I think they might be able to alter that perception? Yes. Is this a terrible beer? No. Rich and dark and sweet and a bit chocolaty .... but then the spice is just ALWAYS THERE. At first I felt it was more subtle and hidden under the alcohol and density and rich flavors, but I felt it growing and GROWING until it was about all I could taste. Not that it is actually that strong, but just because it was something I enjoyed less and less upon every sip until i just couldn’t take it any more.

Zero expectations going into this. Having experienced quite a few top pumpkin ales recently I can confidently say this is a total home run. Pours a dark mahogany color with a orangish light brown head. Nose smells of nutmeg cinnamon booze pumpkin Ginger ash dark chocolate burnt cookies and syrup. Taste is dark chocolate, spices, booze, pumpkin pie, and liquer and cola. Mouthfeel is highly carbonated And the finish lasts extremely long. Awesome. Perfect for my palate.

( 12oz bottle) pours moderately thick black, nice dark brown head, and decent lacing. Nose of cola, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and alcohol. Taste of bakers chocolate, pumpkin mash, cinnamon and nutmeg, and a warming alcohol on the finish. Highly carbonated for this style, dances on the tongue. This should age quite well, a great pumpkin stout!

Bottle with a faint marking of 111209 on it for a bottled on date. Pours with a near black body and a largish deep brown mocha head. Head slowly flattens out. Stays as a ring and leaves decent legs. Certainly a pervasive aroma! Highly spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon with a slight alcohol tinge. Bits of ginger and sweet milk chocolate. No dark roast, just sweet chocolate. A bit of pumpkin as well and a touch of leather in the background. Taste is very up front and strong in alcohol. A bit smokey too (oddly, tastes like it could have been pitched on the yeast slurry of DR8). Bitter and aggressive at first with pumpkin and sharp notes of nutmeg and ginger. This will be a love it or hate it beer on the taste. I dig the forwardness of it. Medium to high bubbles for the style. A bit of a thin alcoholic finish; its big but needs a bit more body. I look forward to seeing how this ages.

UPDATED: NOV 6, 2010 On tap at G man FW. I brought my sorry butt outside in the cold and rain just to get the full experience of this gem. As I’m typing my intro I can already smell a glorious candy corn aroma wafting from the glass. Lots of bazooka Joe sweetness too. Black in the middle with a lighter brown touch near the edges. Wheat brown head. Caramel notes on the nose with the aforementioned notes as well. A sense of alcohol is also felt. Winter spice begins to emerge as the beer begins to warm. Interesting that the pumpkin smell shows up later in the sniff. Winter spices bring cinnamon and nutmeg to the table. Very creamy mouthfeel with an immediate tingle on the tip of the tongue. Abv is felt and warms up the tongue. Warm gingerbread taste and caramel malts. Pumpkin taste is much less perverse than I was anticipating after watching the video of how much they put in it. It doesn’t show up till near the aftertaste and sits fantastically. Tastes like a warm Christmas cookie that was given to me by a pixie in an elf costume. My faith is totally restored in the Divine Reserve series. Fantastic. 4.5
RE-RATE 11/6/10 Bottle from my cellar. Been sitting on this guy for awhile. Dark dark brown color with a rich brown head. Aroma is still fantastic. Lovely cinnamon and hot spice. Some alcohol can still be smelled. Tastes like a wonderful Christmas cookie. Well balanced and still fantastic.

Bottle from me, ’cause I rock.
Pours a perfect black with a subtle head of off-white that settles but never dissipates. Aroma is strong pumpkin that quickly morphs into black licorice and candied nutmeg. Very dark fruits laced with spice linger in the background. Flavor is a woodsy pumpkin that fades into a bitter pile of chocolate and nutmeg spice and malted celery. Flavor fails to linger long on the tongue despite the intense rush of flavor and high ABV, the latter hardly being noticed. Brackish coffee grounds poke their head up between sips. Average mouthfeel. Not the best pumpkin I’ve ever had but not the worst. Too instense for its own good? Maybe. This beer gives the impression that someone was trying too hard to make an intense beer out of something that could have been much better with a little restraint.

12 oz. bottle served in shaker- poured non transparent black when held to a light source, medium carbonation, one finger tan head quickly bubbled away to nothing in a few moments, no lacing. Aroma of nutmeg, pumpkin, dark chocolate, and a toasted malt, Hits the mouth with a high-medium body, the malt is buried by pumpkin, dark chocolate, and nutmeg- not the most appealing, middle has those senasations continue over, finish has a lingering wood effect with a kind of medicinal conotation to it. A lackluster release, it should have stayed a homebrew. Avoid.