Pikes Peak AdAmAn Holiday Ale

It’s one of my favorite times of year, because AdAmAn is here! This seasonal dark ale from Pikes Peak is one of my favorites, so I’m more than happy to share my thoughts.

First, a short explanation of the name: AdAmAn. That’s the motto of the climbing club formed in 1922 that hikes to the top of Pikes Peak every New Years Eve to set off fireworks at the summit. Each year a new member is added—Add a man (the A’s are capitalized to represent the mountain peaks). I’m not too sure about the details of this club’s history, but they’re legends in Colorado Springs. So, it’s fitting that Pikes Peak brews this holiday ale in their honor.

Now, for the beer. There’s no clear description on the menu, so you’ll have to trust me. There’s chocolate, there’s some fig flavor, although I don’t think figs are part of this. There’s some vanilla, cinnamon, and sweet orange peel, but just enough to make it interesting, and possibly some ginger root. There’s also a slight taste of toasted oak at the backend, along with the signature Pikes Peak hops bitterness. None of these flavors jump out, but they make a nice, balanced winter warmer. That’s what makes this a great beer: It’s not the over-spiced holiday ales that overdo the cinnamon and nutmeg, and it’s not the holiday ales that are generic dark ales with no character. It nearly hits the Goldilocks zone. This may not a popular view, but I think a pinch, or just south of a pinch, of nutmeg would put this over the top. But nutmeg is a fickle mistress, and too much could be disastrous, so I’m not too disappointed.

The only slight flaw, in my opinion, is that the bitterness takes away from the flavors a bit. Again, some people like that, and some bitterness is needed to balance out any sweetness. This beer isn’t too sweet to begin with, so the amount of hop bitterness isn’t needed. With that said, I still love this beer. It could be because I love holiday ales in general, or it could be nostalgia since this is one of the first holiday beers I had after moving back to Colorado. Either way, I’ll drink them until they run out, which is usually sometime in February.

AdAmAn comes in at about 8.2% ABV, so more than two will give me the courage to sign up with the AdAmAn club to climb up Pikes Peak at the end of December. Despite the ABV, it’s easy drinking.