Saint Arnold Sailing Santa - Saint Arnold Brewing Company

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.05/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Big thanks goes out to 67couple for sharing this one during a recent Random Sunday Tasting! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured yellow-orange with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wheat, spice, fruit, earth, and earth hop. The flavor was of sweet malt, wheat, spice, earth, and earth hop. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty average brew. Nothing on this brew really stood out to me. There was quite a bit going on, but it just did not all flow together in unison and rather seemed to clash on your palate. This was really kind of a letdown as the flavors in this one had potential to be quite good if they would have blended well together. Glad I got to try this one, but doubt I would go out of my way to do so again.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 11:52:06 | More by thagr81us

bmwats

Louisiana

3.5/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 650 ml bottle into my newly gifted West Lakeview - Chicago tulip (because I wanted to).

A: Pure amber hue. Pours about a half finger, bubbly, white head. Settles quickly, retaining a slight beer ring around the rim.

S: Light, buttery, nutty, malt tones with some nice piny hop character.

T: Hoppy, with a touch of indistinct sweetness screaming from the cheap seats.

M: Full, hearty body. Hops pervasive throughout, however, not heightened. Pungent sweetness remains.

D: More of a sipping experience due to a pungently unusual finish.

Atmosphere is pretty decent. Nice hue, fair head, no real lacing. Nose is light combination of nutty and piny notes. A little hoppy balanced with a little sweet, neither taking the lead. Nicely balanced. Overall, this is a pretty good (albeit unusual) quaff.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 05:04:36 | More by bmwats

KKB

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A – A light copper body with light carbonation and a tall egg shell head. It isn’t exactly outstanding but it looks very nice. There is some lacing but it is minimal, which is a little disappointing.

S – It has a light, very pleasant aroma to it. A nice balance of malt and hops give it a toffee and floral quality. Some mild spice as well and a slight bread. It smells ok, but not great certainly.

T – Well the flavor is much bolder than the smell would indicate which is really an improvement. Still you get some of the flavors that you had in the nose just dialed up a notch. The toffee element is a bit sweeter and more pronounced, and it also has a fruity quality to it as well as a tea aspect. The hops are very wanting though, and just barely detectable. I’ll give them this though, it really tastes pretty good. A very safe beer though, and it is not outstanding. It is pretty good though.

M – Probably the worst part about this beer, still it’s ok. I actually just looked at the ABV though and that makes this a tad bit more impressive to me. I would have said this was like 5% alcohol at the most. So there’s that. It’s medium body, with very little carbonation, but it really does not stay long on the palate at all.

O – This beer is ok, I don’t necessarily recommend it but it’s definitely not something you should turn down. It tastes really pretty pleasant but it is totally a safe beer and entirely underwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 03:01:38 | More by KKB

vickersspitfire

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours out a very nice burnt copper color has a crystal clear body and mild carbonation and is topped off with a nice semi-thick tan head, which slowly dissipates into a thin layer of bubbles. Very good lacing Hops are ever present in the aroma along with grapefruit, lemon peel, coriander and some spices. This has a medium mouth feel-leaning more toward the light end though, it is crisp all around mild citrus flavors come through-lemon grass, grapefruit. It’s slightly bitter over all but goes down easily. The aftertaste gets a bit more aggressive but isn’t hard to handle. Overall a very good IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 05:24:55 | More by vickersspitfire

Pegasus

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Clear reddish amber with a modest head, which soon fades to a thin dusting. Thick glass-coating lace adorns the glass walls. The carbonation is faint, with only an occasional bubble rising lazily to the surface.

Aroma: Deep caramel,with Christmas spices, with grapefruit and herbal hops.

Taste: Opens with a pine tar hop note, and toasted malt. As the taste progresses, the hops become a bit more assertive. Along the way, there are some faint Christmas spices. Finishes with a lingering, moderate herbal and pine tar hop presence.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, fairly pleasant, with the carbonation a bit stinging.

Drinkability/notes: An interesting beer, the label sates that it is a blend of Elissa IPA and Christmas Ale. The Elissa IPA dominates the flavor, in my opinion, this beer would be better if the Christmas Ale were more emphasized. Still, not a bad choice for a cold, blustery, but snow-free Christmas Day.

Presentation: Packaged in a twenty-two ounce brown glass bomber, served in a New Belgium Brewing

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 22:08:14 | More by Pegasus

beerdrifter

Germany

3.83/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2012 version. Clear copper-amber pour with two finger head with decent retention and nice lacing. Spicy, herbal nose with tons of cinnamon along with hints of caramel, biscuit, and pine. The taste follows suit and is dominated by the cinnamon as well along with hints of toffee, caramel, maple syrup, pine, and a touch of cherries. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a subtle metallic, bitter finish. Love a spicy Christmas beer and this one totally fits the bill. Very solid!

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 04:09:15 | More by beerdrifter

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Saint Arnold Sailing Santa has a rather thin, cream-colored head and a pretty clear, bubbly, copper appearance, with some lacing left behind. The aroma is subtle, but one can pick up some fruitiness and brown bread crust. Taste is of brown bread, brown sugar, fruity and piney hops, and it has a pleasant, bitter undertaste. The mouthfeel is medium, and Saint Arnold Sailing Santa finishes crisp, refreshing, pleasant, mentholated, and quite drinkable. Overall, this is a most excellent offering, and I recommend it!

RJT

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 13:40:42 | More by RonaldTheriot

acevenom

Louisiana

4.43/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a large brandy snifter. Pours hazy copper with a white head that doesn't last. There's quite a bit of visible carbonation in the beer. There are some aromas of hops with a good backbone of toffee and bread. The hops have some citrus and pine notes, but these are more subdued. The flavor is of toffee and bread with some citrus and pine notes in the back. There's some spiciness as well. The flavors come together well, but this doesn't quite fit the IPA bill. This is still a winter warmer. There's a spiced candy aftertaste that clears out pretty quickly. The body is medium to full with adequate carbonation. The finish is very smooth and is pretty clean. This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 00:45:46 | More by acevenom

HTownGuy85

2.93/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Friend had told me about Sailing Santa, and after seeing it at Specs, I figured I'd try it.

A - poured into a standard pint glass, pours red - like a good Bourbon. Head decipates fast as tiny bubbles go from the bottom to the top quickly. Head laces beautifully around glass though.

S - citrus, hops. Not very aromatic. Flat.

T - light, delicate. Palate detected a hint of citrus. Hops take over and slowly decipate.

M - as I had suspected, very bubbly. Wish it weren't as bubbly.

Overall, it's okay, but definitely nothing special. Not one of Saint Arnold's best, but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 05:59:12 | More by HTownGuy85

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.15/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a Rochefort chalice.

A: Pleasant, murky auburn

S: Spicy fruit. Belgian-esque; not that bad.

T: Blegh. Not that tasty. Thin green apples, dry spices, brief flavours. Aftertaste is dull and ale-ish.

M: Bahhh.

O: I can tell that this isn't a bad beer, but I would not suggest drinking it a year old. Meh-ish.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 02:16:33 | More by AgentMunky

Meldarred

3.83/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

S - Standard Bomber Bottle

A - Copper bronze appearance

T - Well balanced malt and hop flavor with the right amount of Christmas spice

M - It felt right . There was no acidic feel that is normally present in Elissa

O - I had extremely low expectations for Sailing Santa, but I always love a good Saint Arnolds scavenger hunt. It is blended just right to make me appreciate Elissa and the Christmas beer more.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 02:51:29 | More by Meldarred

csiewert

Oregon

3.78/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a beautiful slightly hazy copper color with a finger of white foamy head that recedes quickly. No retention or lacing.

S - not much on the hop front, but the malt bill is very pleasant. Notes of caramel and sweet bread come up front. You can get a hint of vegetal earthy hops if you get in there.

T - starts with the bready malt backbone, hints of caramel. Finishes with some citrus and the a sharp bitterness that dissipates rapidly. Everyhting is nicely balanced so as to be easily drinkable.

M - solid all around smooth drink... Maybe a little more carb

O - this is a good IPA for those not seeking hop bombs. Everything is balanced and subdued.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 05:05:24 | More by csiewert

htomsirveaux

Texas

3/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz. bottle tried 3 Jan 2012. Served in the (512) One snifter.

Fizzy tan medium sized head. Minimally carbonated. Clear rusty auburn color. Aromas of resin, Earthiness, sweet toasty grains. Caramel and a touch of strawberry jam. Fairly sweet to start, becoming a little bitter resiny in the middle. Bittersweet aftertaste.

Seems a little less than the sum of it's parts.

Tastes like a combo of Elissa and the Christmas ale. Imagine that. $5 for 22 oz of this, or $16 for 72 oz. of Elissa and 72 oz. of Christmas ale, and then you can mix them however you like.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 16:46:50 | More by htomsirveaux

cosmicevan

New York

4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

thank you to injuredreserve for sending this one my way. ipa blended with winter warmer...i'm in! enjoyed from a deschutes snifter.

a - cracked the bottle and filled my glass, brew poured. looks very ipa with a transparent orange and frothy offwhite head that had milkshake like chunky lacing.

s - yum. big toffee and caramel. smell is all winter warmer. candy. gave it a 4 for smelling good, not smelling like an ipa. hops are invisible in the nose (at this point at least).

t - just like the nose suggests...toffee and caramel for this winter warmer dominated brew. i'm a fan of winter warmers and i think that this is a very solid example of a nice sweet malty WW. if you are looking for an ipa, might be there in the background a bit, but not so much.

m - medium to full bodied even carbonation. cooling. this is a winter warmer.

o - overall i enjoyed it, but look elsewhere if you are seeking an ipa, this is a toffee malt bomb of a winter warmer. nice candied sweetness, not overly grainy. really enjoyable. good.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 02:14:57 | More by cosmicevan

beergoot

Colorado

3.23/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received in a trade...

Color is an orange / amber color, faintly cloudy in appearance. About a one-finger head, white in color. Decent head retention and lacing down the glass.

Bready nose with toffee undertones. Hops seem rather faint; perhaps some pine-like notes with some spice.

Taste is primarily malt and toffee.

Medium in body. Finishes a bit sweet with a nice, lingering bitterness to end things.

A decent beer, but nothing I can get really fired up about. But, an easy drinking holiday beer (a blend of their Elissa and Xmas Ale) at 7% ABV isn't something to turn away from...Worth checking out...

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 00:02:54 | More by beergoot

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks for sharing, Steve.

Amber in color with an off-white head. Sort of just an old IPA aroma to this. Some citrus and floral hop notes hidden in the background with a fair amount of toffee and bread malt aroma. A mild fruitiness to the flavor with a little bit of hop bitterness. Some faint citrus notes from the hops. As with the aroma, it’s mostly just malt sweetness on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 01:40:32 | More by womencantsail

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours an orange-amber color with an off-white head. The aroma starts off with some nice orange and pine notes from the IPA, but then I get a little bit of toffee and some spice character. The flavor is similar. The two more prominent flavors are orange and toffee, with some nutmeg and a little bit of cinnamon thrown in for good measure. The hop flavor in the beer is very juicy, but the bitterness is low. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 16:18:18 | More by Mora2000

Kornoms

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It pours a very nice amber color with a good head and nice lacing. There really isn't much of a smell going on here though. The taste is pleasant enough, but I feel you can taste the combination of two different beers. The first part of the sip is the sweetness of the Christmas Ale and the second half of the sip you get the hops from the Elissa. Overall, a decent tasting beer- but nothing spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 03:48:01 | More by Kornoms

2378GCGTG

Texas

3.08/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bomber poured into a pint glass at 50 degrees

Appearance: Golden 2 inch pure white head with decent lacing and a long retention.

Smell: Pine, malt caramel and brown sugar.

Taste: Piney/citrusey flavor, a bit light on the malt backbone, bitter hops, and a somewhat acidic finish

Mouthfeel: light and flowing, definitely has the body of a session beer, which is surprising for the 7% ABV

Overall: A good beer, didn't seem like anything extremely special, but a good drinkable beer all the same. I would buy it again, especially for what it costed its a good deal.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 13:19:24 | More by 2378GCGTG

HardTarget

Texas

3.83/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Good clarity in an amber yellow glass that holds a rocky white head that laces.

Smell: Mild Christmas spiced nose, doughy malt gives up some donut sweetness.

Taste: Fairly balanced, clean malt has just enough hops to let both flavors shine. Again, mild spices play a role with the yeast coming through as well. Hops are mixed, a bit of pine, some floral, some earthy. Mild soapiness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium light body, medium carbonation, slick texture.

Overall: A good blend, the two beers compliment each other leaving a lot of flavor but nothing challenging. Classic St. Arnold, beer for the masses without being Bud.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 01:52:30 | More by HardTarget

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to injuredreserve for throwing this in as part of our trade, and a good trade it was. A red and mahogany colored beer, off white head. Aroma was mild, slightly hoppy, a tiny bit of hearty malt aroma to it.

After the first sip, I described it as Texas Celebration Ale. Nowhere near as good, but in the same vibe, a big malt decent hopped ipa. The sum is greater than its parts I would say, as I've had the Elissa IPA and was even more underwhelmed by that beer than this one, and I rarely dig on xmas beers.

Nothing that is reinventing the wheel, this is a hearty malt bill ipa that has more toffee than caramel, but doesn't skimp on the hops. Not really a pure American ipa, kind of like a winter warmer on hops, or a brown ipa type of beer. Overall, a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 03:13:50 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Mosstrooper

California

3.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Appearance: Pours clear amber with a small off-white head that dissipates quickly and leaves a small layer of film on top of the beer.

Smell: Smells of melon with a hint of grape backed up by earthy and woody hops. The smell could be a bit more assertive.

Taste: Begins fruity and citric, rounding out to some bready malt before finishing with a balanced hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with balanced carbonation and a dry finish with some stickiness in the back of the throat as you drink more.

Overall: A solid IPA. This doesn't break any new ground or do anything to truly set itself apart, but makes for an enjoyable drink. Worth a try for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 20:27:24 | More by Mosstrooper

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours 1/2 finger of white head. Leaves a little bit of lace. Color is a slightly hazed autumn orange.

Aroma: More ipa flavors than the christmas ale part. Grapefruit and citrus flavors with floral hops. A little bit of pineapple with some bready malts.

Taste: A little of the christmas ale shows here. Some spices, but mainly a bunch of hops. Grapefruit and sticky hop resin flavors. Some pine flavors and floral hops. Bready malt backbone again.

Mouthfeel: Sticky. Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends with more stickiness.

Overall, an interesting idea, but the ipa showed a lot here. It was a fairly easy to drink beer. A lot of nice flavors, but a bit too malty for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 23:47:32 | More by mothman

suspect

New York

3.75/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Dogfish Head Signature glass. Big thanks to miikezombie for the Secret Santa hookup.

A: Crystal clear amber color. Normal pour leads to a 1 finger rocky not-quite-pure white head that sticks to the glass with consistent lacing. Almost has the color of an amber ale.

S: Nice, full nose on this one with a balanced attack of subtle hops and a big strong malt backbone. If I had to pick one that was more prevalent, I'd pick the malt. Some very subdued spices.

T: Malt backs down a bit and the hops remain about the same. Spices take a good step forward here with some nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon spices picked up. Nothing overpowering and this IPA is lacking in hop profile.

M: Nice feel. Good carbonation, nice crisp finish.

O: A decent beer but I'm not sure it's well suited being classified as an IPA. Regardless of it's classification, it's a good beer that Saint Arnold can be proud of.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 01:51:44 | More by suspect

omnigrits

Texas

3.43/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber into a straight pint glass.

A. A very pleasing copper colour with an off white head that has stayed the duration.

S. Not a lot there. Definitely some spices, a little hoppiness and some sweet malts. Quite a strong hint of pine.

T. There's a bit more here. The spiciness is still there but the hops seem to come through more with a nice citrus twang. It feels as if there ought to be more there though. Something's missing. I will say though that it's got a very unusual - and pleasant - finish which is almost minty fresh. I've never experienced anything like that in a beer and I quite like it.

M. Medium bodied, smooth carbonation that's unobtrusive.

O. This is a blend of Elissa and SA Christmas Ale, which on their own are decent beers and which customers have asking for as a blend at bars. I don't know if it works as well in a bottle. It's okay, but nothing more than that. Worth trying, definitely.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 02:26:03 | More by omnigrits