Special Holiday Ale

Okay, I know the holidays are over, but it doesn't mean I have finished drinking all of my Christmas presents. When you have great friends, you tend to get great beers in your stockings and under the tree. I got this winter warmer, and based on what I had read, I was excited to pop it open.

This is a yearly collaboration done by Nogne O, Stone, and Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. This year it was done at Nogne O. It poured out a beautiful dark brown with red around the edges where the light came through better. It had almost no head, less than one finger, but it was off white to light tan. The beer is 8.5% abv. It had a syrupy mouth feel, that was perfect for a cold winter day.

The beer had a heavy bread and cinnamon aroma. The first sip did not disappoint. It was a very malty beer, with great holiday spices. There was a good amount of cinnamon and nutmeg. Hints of dried fruit and berries came through at the finish. It was almost like a tangy cinnamon raisin bagel. There is a piney alcohol flavor that hits the tongue after each sip and lingers just long enough to remind you how good it was.

The beer was lighter on the hops than I expected from Stone, but with all the other spices and flavors I didn't feel like it was missing much.

The only draw back to this brew was a sticky feel that was left in my mouth after a large drink.

I give it a solid 4.