The story that I am about to regale you with begins earlier in this year of 2009, back in January to be exact. Walking into Total Wine in search of beer (what else), I was surprised to see a holiday seasonal ale just arrived on the shelves. Now, lots of breweries produce holiday beers these days (in fact most do, at least if they're smart). But what made this one so special was that it was a collaborative effort.

Not by just two breweries, mind you, no, that would not suffice here. This was a beer of three breweries, something new even to this storied and traveled beer reviewer. And so, even though the holiday season was over, I picked up a few bottles of this Special Holiday Ale brewed by California's Stone Brewing Company,  Michigan's Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, and Norway's Nøgne-Ø brewery.

At $2.99 per 12-ounce bottle (or, just under $1 a brewery), I thought my purchase a good deal. I scampered on home and tried a bottle that night, and found it much to my liking. But, as I am often wont to do during the holiday season, I socked a bottle away for imbibing during July. There's nothing better than a beery "Christmas in July" celebration, after all, to break up the heat of the summer months.

According to a story on the Stone Brewing blog, the idea for this collaborative special ale was spawned after Stone's Greg Koch ran into Nøgne-Ø's owner-brewer Kjetil Jikiun in Japan. A fast friendship was formed, and it was decided that a very special holiday beer would be created, with the help of yet another brewing concern, the highly regarded Jolly Pumpkin. The beer would be a variation on a holiday ale already produced by Nøgne-Ø.

And so, with this much input on Special Holiday Ale, it would be a spiced ale of epic proportions. Weighing in at a formidable 9% alcohol by volume, it would be spiced with white sage from California and chestnuts from Michigan. Norway was to be represented by juniper, although the actual ingredient here was imported from Italy. Caraway was added, too, and the traditional barley malt base of the beer was augmented by rye malt (making up 25% of the grain bill) and malted oats.

Stone/Nøgne-Ø/Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale pours to a murky ruby chestnut color with a light, ethereal head formation and a spicy nose of rye bread and aromatic pine. Taking a sip, I find the body is full, but not as rich as in some other spiced holiday ales (Anchor Our Special Ale comes to mind).

In the flavor department, though, this one lacks for nothing.  Right away I am reminded of a thick slice of chewy rye bread, as the spicy rye flavors in the brew and the pungent caraway combine to suggest. But there's so much more going on, too: the aromatic, savory sage; the piney, fragrant juniper; the silky smooth oats; the nutty chestnut.

In the finish, there's a gentle buzz of hops that are slightly minty and balance off the sweetness The spices and alcohol warmth do the rest, and the beer finishes dry despite it's heft. This Special Holiday Ale is bottle conditioned, which makes it a prime candidate for aging, and mine, which is at least 8 to 9 months old, seems every bit as robust as when I tried it in January. It should hold up well if stored properly for several years, if you have any yourself.

A fine brew for sipping, whether it be in July or December. If I could give it a tiny tweak I might add just a bit more body, but only a bit.