Home > Liquid > Archives > 2009 > December > 01 > Entry
Beer Tuesday is today, people
That’s what St. Arnold is calling it. The Houston brewery’s small-batch Divine Reserve #9 hit town today and will disappear soon.
This batch is an imperial pumpkin stout, of all things. Sounds way intriguing. Customers are being asked to limit themselves to a six-pack or two. And if you can’t exercise self-control, the store will do it for you.
If anybody gets a taste, send a comment and we can compare notes. And if you want to send a coherent note, don’t have more than one before writing — this baby is 11 percent alcohol by volume.
UPDATE: OK, I dashed to Spec’s on MoPac and grabbed a six-pack — the limit — for $14.99 and am enjoying a liquid lunch on this dreary day. I let it warm up to the recommended 50 degrees. It pours a promising molasses color with a dark brown head that quickly dissipates with that undertown of malt and alcohol. Lots of pumpkin and spice on the nose — nutmeg, maybe cloves. For an imperial stout it’s not particularly a 10W-40 thickness. Sipping it I get the impression the spice overwhelms the pumpkin a bit, but that may even out after a few months (or a year) of cellaring.
There’s a lot of chatter on Twitter right now about who’s got it in town if you feel like venturing out. It’s worth it. It’s certainly one of the best pumpkin beers I’ve ever tasted; it’s not one of the best imperial stouts I’ve ever tasted.
What can I say? Old Rasputin will always have my heart.
Quick, funny aside: When I called Spec’s I asked to speak with the beer department and the woman who answered the phone asked, “Are you calling about Divine Reserve?”
Yes, folks, the cult around this series really is that fervent.
HOUSTON, November 30, 2009 - Saint Arnold Brewing Company (www.saintarnold.com), the oldest craft brewery in Texas, wants to make sure that everyone who wants to try Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 9 will be able to find it. The brewery has asked retailers to limit sales to two six packs per customer and is asking customers to limit their purchase to a six pack or two. Starting Tuesday, December 1st, a very limited supply of Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 9 will arrive in stores, restaurants and bars in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
Divine Reserve No. 9 is an Imperial Stout Pumpkin Ale. It is the latest edition in a highly anticipated and sought after series of high-quality, full-flavored single batch beers, each brewed with a completely different recipe. The batches are identified by the number on the neck label.
“Based on past experience and the fact that Divine Reserve No. 9 will be on lots of gift lists, we expect very high demand,” said Brock Wagner, Founder/Brewer of Saint Arnold Brewing. “We set out to brew the best pumpkin beer in the world and we hope people think we made a creditable effort.”
Black with some ruby highlights, Divine Reserve No. 9 is full of pumpkin pie spices with notes of nutmeg, caraway and vanilla.
“It tastes like a chocolate pumpkin pie. The taste starts with chocolate malt with a hint of spice and rolls into a warm spicy alcohol taste,” said Wagner. “I recommend serving at 50 degrees or warmer because it brings the spices forward in the taste and the chocolate moves to the finish.”
A total of 1,500 cases and 29 kegs of Saint Arnold Divine Reserve were produced. Saint Arnold’s distributors allocate Divine Reserve to stores, restaurants and bars on the basis of how much Saint Arnold beer they have sold over the previous six months.
Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 9 is priced at approximately $16 per six pack. More information on the Divine Reserve series is available at
Comments
Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our Visitor's agreement. Click here to report comment abuse.