Special Holiday Ale
Stone Brewing

12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.0%. Bottle conditioned. Chestnut coloured beer, huge and creamy lasting tan head. Nice aroma of caramel, spices and dark fruits. Rich and full mouthfeel. The flavour is malty, rich and sweet, with loads of spices - but I’d have trouble identifying which ones, if I didn’t know. I would also have guessed that there was some aniseed or liquorice in there. There is a distinct hoppy bitterness and more spices in the finish. Interesting stuff!

 

Ruby brown pour with a few floaties. Decent light tan head. Smells like dates, dark fruits. Taste is really great. After the small initial oxidation, the rye and caraway spiciness comes through. Dates, prunes and raisins also. Slick and smooth mouthfeel, no alcohol burn. Medium dry finish. Makes me want another one to try in a couple of years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Deep amber/brown body with a off white lacy head.

S: There is a bitter bite in the beginning of the aroma. There is a deep caramel and sweet aroma.

T: A nice balance between the bitter hops (citrus and pine) and the malty notes. There is sweet caramel and toffee.

M: Perfect body and carbonation.

O: Great beer. It's a shame it's not going to be brewed again.

 

Thanks to alelover for sending this one.

A - Pours a cloudy chestnut brown color with a thick, creamy, tan lacing ring and tons of carbonation.

S - Juniper, caraway seeds, mint, mild molasses, plumbs, raisins, and figs.

T - Complex flavor with several layers going on. Juniper and juniper berry stands out the most and is present all the way to the end, light chocolate caramel, caraway, light molasses, dark fruit, and some alcohol effervescence. Everything plays well together and they all hit the palate in layers. Light juniper bitterness plays throughout.

M - Thick, full bodied, rich, and velvety.

O - This one grew on me as I worked my way through the bottle, nice complexity.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Opaque medium brown color with no foam head. Scant lacing remains on the glass.

S: Molassses and juniper work together to suggest decayed resinous foliage. Minty sage is mild and complementary. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins dry, with volatile sage, some unctuous chocolate, and distracting saccharine sweetness that builds toward the middle. Roast emerges in the middle before more typical winter spices dominate the finish with an astringent quality. No alcohol is detected.

M: Medium viscosity, oddly numbing on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This well-aged winter beer is a clashing juxtaposition of brewing skill and misguided ingredient selection. At its best it is suggestive of Unibroue/Trader Joe's Vintage Ale. At its worst it is merely confused.

When I first had this beer long ago, I didn't care for it very much. I recently found it again in the store and decided to try it one more time to see if my tastes had developed at all. Pours a dark, murky brown and slightly ruby color - muddy, cloudy, opaque. Almost looks like a strong-ass Belgian quad. Thin tan head that recedes almost immediately. Very thick on the pour, looks like maple syrup coming out of the bottle.

Aroma is HUGE. Whether you like it or not, the aroma is as powerful as they come, super herbal, super malty, and full of spice. Ginger, toffee, caramel, sage, juniper berry come to mind (of course, a few of those are written on the bottle). Ginger seems to be the most powerful at this point. Upon tasting, I was right - almost gives a gingerbread like flavor, followed up both other spices; sage, cinnamon - very spicy. Sweetness comes alive in the form of juniper berries, dark fruits; plums, raisins, hard to pick out other specifics. Bitterness plays a roll about three-quarters of the way through, all the way to the end - hops are leafy and herbal in character, dry and slightly harsh, almost like a strong earl tea. After the beer is gone, my mouth is left with hints of pumpernickel or rye bread, most likely due to the combo of rye and yeast - it's quite nice. Alcohol shines through quite a bit, adding a nice warming effect. Thick and syrupy, juicy mouthfeel, leaves the mouth feeling kind of sticky and coated, low carbonation.

This beer is way better than I remember it, so I'm glad I had the chance to try it again. My tastes have certainly evolved since that time and now I can appreciate a beer like this. Very aromatic and full of unique flavor, this beer would be a nice choice for a holiday meal or sitting by a campfire.

Black, little head. Easy drinking, subtle x-mas spices,everything blends well together,toasty chestnut, dry finish and understated carbonation. Tasty no sourness at all, only a tad of wood and a mellow bitterness and glad I caught up with it.Liam's bottle.

Bottle shared by Steve, 12oz into a tulip.

Browned red, with a beige head - good lacing and mild retention. Sage/thyme in terms of spicing, berries are quite present with some caramel and chocolate. Taste has spice, caramel, seedy bread notes (caraway likely), cinnanmon and some earthy and chocolatey flavours. Sweeter, light bitterness and a tad drying. A really nice winter/holiday ale, a lot of what I look for in the style here.

 

 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into my Stone tulip. Received this one in a trade with scottfrie a while back.

A - Pours a hazy burnt mahogany color, with almost no head. Even when swirled, the head is just a thin cap.

S - The smell is very herbal. Almost menthol like. The sage is definately present, as well as the caraway.

T/M - The taste is more complex than the nose. On the front is the sage and caraway. The middle gives way to a smooth nuttiness, and a slightly sweet maltiness. Then a get a hint of, possibly, red licorice. The back finishes with a thick molasses. Very different how this beers flavor profile unfolds. Mouthfeel is medium-heavy mouthfeel.

O - A very unique brew to say the least. I've never had a brew like this before. Multi-dimensional. The 9% is very well hidden. An amazing brew for sure. Not your average holiday ale. Thanks Scott for sending this one my way. Cheers!

 

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into an EKU 28 snifter in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Served refrigerator cold and allowed to warm as consumption progressed. Not paired with food or anything. Expectations are high; I trust Nogne quite a bit and Stone tends to be hit and miss. I'm hoping she's a good one; it's been a long day. Winter Warmers are one of me top five favourite styles.

A: Pours a one finger head of good cream, pretty good thickness, and good retention. Colour is a nontransparent solid black.

Sm: Chestnuts, heavy berry esters (I don't know that I'd necessarily detect it as juniper), and spices. Toasted malts, chocolate, and caramelized malts. Chocolate and berry are dominant. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Chocolate, heavy berry, lovely spices, chestnut, caramel, cream, and underlying toasted malt. Balanced quite well, with impressive subtlety. It doesn't fully commit to its flavours, leaving it feeling a bit muted. Quite enjoyable and pleasant. I like it. It's complex. Rich and delightful.

Mf: Silky smooth, wet, and creamy. Quite lovely, especially for the ABV. The most impressive aspect of this beer. Not too thick or too thin. Exquisite. Almost perfect. I'm extremely impressed.

Dr: Very drinkable - especially for the high ABV, which is well hidden. I'd have it again, preferably either aged in the bottle or on draught. I don't know that it'd get much better, but I do like it. I just wish it was more forward and confident with its flavours.

B

 

 

A long time want (read tick) for me though I never really tried that hard to get it. Picked up this summer during a brand new Binny’s opening in IL. Such a random place to finally be able to pick some bottles up!

Appearance – Pours into a tulip with a ruddy burgundy color. There are definite floaties in the beer. Slight head is achieved with a moderate pour.

Smell – Still plenty of spices and juniper in the beer after a few years in the bottle. Sage, chestnut, and malt.

Taste – Maltier than expected. Slight spices with the juniper coming through at first. Just a hint of the sage is there, along with chestnuts. Heavy caramel and toffee at the end.

Mouthfeel – Medium bodied, mild carbonation.

Overall – Have a few more left in the cellar…but honestly don’t know how much “better” this will do with age. Glad to tick it, though not a spectacular beer by any means.

A - Pours a very deep garnet color with some suspended material and one finger of tan head. Head has pretty good retention, but only leaves spotty lacing.

S - Big toffee and caramel malt with juniper and some nice spice of sage and caraway. Also a bit floral in the aroma.

T - Similar to the nose, this is very malty with a nice spice profile. Juniper is quite prominent, and the rye gives a nice bite. The spices are actually somewhat subtle at this point, not sure what is was like fresh. Sage is quite nice.

M - Nice, creamy medium mouthfeel. Spices give some dryness on the finish.

O - Nice, unique winter warmer. Spices really elevate the beer in this case, which isn't often true in my experience. Glad I got to try this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasted oct. 27th 2011 (from notes)

Tulip

A - deep swampy brown, no head and no lacing

S - lots of malts, toasty, funk, flowers, hops, fall weather, pie spices, flowers and crisp everything

T - hoppy, sour, tons of roasted malt, pumpkin seeds, flowers, citrus, fall spices, earth and maybe a slight pumpkin pie

M - full bodied, nice complexity, well balanced, low acidity and medium finish

D - very nice easy to drink beer. Tastes like the holidays. Reminds me of fall and relaxing watching football with a nice fire

Final thought - stone colabs never disappoints. Get it and get a couple if you like holiday ales