Special Holiday Ale
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Loading ...I really have no idea how to describe today’s beer. For the full story, be sure to read the tale of collaboration posted at The Stone Blog.
“Special Holiday Ale” is a joint venture of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Stone Brewing Company, and Nøgne Ø.
I came across Special Holiday Ale at my liquor store when its seemingly simple bottle — featuring a triangle linking the logos of Stone, Jolly Pumpkin, and Nøgne Ø — stood out simply by being so understated. I picked it up and, upon further inspection, surprising details became apparent. One such example being a haiku by Jolly Pumpkin’s head brewer, Ron Jeffries:
Triad formed
saged hills speak slowly
a beer is born
The bottle isn’t the only thing about this beer I would describe as nuanced.
Poured into a Duvel tulip glass, the ale is black cherry red. The beer developed a terrific foamy head that glided up the glass like a true Belgian. The color is tricky — it looks brown until the light catches it, revealing red highlights. It’s quite beautiful.
But the aroma, often a beer’s second chance to make a first impression, is complex enough to approach off putting. Stick with it though and you’re in for a treat.
For insight, let’s start out with the ingredients list. The list starts out simply enough: barley, hops, water, and yeast. Then comes malted oats and rye malt, which you don’t see often. But then things get decidedly strange — chestnuts, juniper berry, white sage & caraway seed!
The sage seems to dominate the nose; and it’s a leading player in the taste, too, toying with the toasty malts and hops. There’s a warm spicy element, which I think is the juniper but really don’t know.
Rich.
The description I keep returning to is “rich”. The velvet mouth feel, the robust aroma, the 9% Alc/Vol, the complexity of the flavors — there’s a richness to this beer that is undeniable. Also undeniable, this collaboration is a beer worth savoring.
If you find a bottle someplace, take your time.
After all, saged hills speak slowly.
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