I almost forgot I had this beer so I was a little late to open it but better late than never I suppose. I love to see collaborations between breweries so I had to pick this "Special Holiday Ale" up which involved three quality breweries: Nøgne Ø (a Norwegian brewery), Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales (Michigan) and Stone Brewing (CA).I'm a big fan of all seasonal beers and this one definitely fits the bill for winter seasonals, but it's also pretty unique. A common theme that I've seen with collaboration beers is the use of regional ingredients from each brewery, which is what was done with this ale for the most part. I say for the most part because the offering from Nøgne Ø, juniper berries, was actually from Italy...close enough though. In addition to the juniper berries, Southern California white sage and Michigan chestnuts were used for the brew. Greg Koch (from Stone), Kjetil Jikiun (from Nøgne Ø) and Ron Jefferies (from Jolly Pumpkin) decided to use rye malt and caraway with the 3 special ingredients.
As I said, this special holiday ale fits the bill because it has that seasonal spiciness, but in this beer, the spiciness is balanced nicely with some nuttiness for a warm drinking experience, great for a winter night. It poured out a nice dark color with a thin head, but didn't have much lacing throughout my consumption last night. There was not any overpowering bitterness or sweetness to it. Ultimately, I enjoyed it but I think one was all I needed; I don't see myself buying the same beer (if brewed again) next winter. Love the collaboration though - I'd like to see more team-ups in the future.
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