Nøgne Ø/Jolly Pumpkin/Stone Special Holiday Ale

From Nøgne Ø – This is the second release of Special Holiday Ale, which was first brewed in San Diego in 2008. Each brew is following the same recipe, including Michigan chestnuts, white sage from southern California and Norwegian juniper berries, but differences in brewing and aging practices produce different beers. Cheers to being different! Skål!

Nøgne Ø/Jolly Pumpkin/Stone Special Holiday Ale – Batch 2 Brewed at Nøgne Ø – 0.5l bottle poured into a goblet. 8.5% abv. From online trade.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown with a frothy creamy tan head. Leaves behind spotty lacing.

Aroma: Sage, Aquafresh toothpaste, chocolate roast. The sage and mint toothpaste are the most dominate odors.

Taste: Chocolate chip mint, roasted chestnuts, roasty malt. Finishes herbal and nutty.  The roast lends a little bit of bitterness, but by no means a bitter beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, creamy carbonation.

Overall: My memory is fuzzy on the first batch, but this comes off as a brand new beer to me. It has much more roast, chocolate and herbal notes.