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Top 10 Winter and Holiday Beer Recommendations

Submitted by dave.mevoli on Mon, 11/28/2011 - 10:37am

By Bryce Eddings, About.com Guide

Winter and the holiday season see a lot of really good, small production seasonal brews in the form of Christmas beers and winter warmers. Christmas beers are often malty and complex although there are no rules for how they should be brewed. Some are made with fruit or spice and some rely on artful malt or hops combinations for wonderful complexity. The winter warmers are similar though they are rarely made with any adjuncts. Both typically contain more than usual alcohol and are usually available from November to February.

And so, in no particular order, here are my Christmas and winter beer selections.

1. Samichlaus

The king of Christmas beers, Samichlaus is the highlight of the holiday season for many beer enthusiasts. It is a rich, aged doppelbock brewed at the Austrian brewery Schloss Eggenberg.

2. Samuel Adams Winter Classics Mix Pack

This mix pack contains a variety of beers. This makes it a nice way to try some unusual beer for beer lovers who are just discovering craft beer. Though it can change from year to year the mix pack often contains Boston Lager, Old Fezziwig Ale, Winter Lager, Holiday Porter, Black Lager, and Cranberry Lambic.

3. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

How do you say Merry Christmas to a hop-head? With a six pack of Celebration Ale from Sierra Nevada. Besides have a pretty significant bitterness at 62 IBUs, this beer is also dry hopped which raises the hops in the aroma and flavor.

4. Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale

Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome is a traditional winter warmer and in many ways has served as the modern benchmark for the style. It is big in flavor and alcohol. Though maltiness dominates it does have a good bit of balancing hops as well as hints of apples and caramel.

5. Odell Brewing Co. Isolation Ale

Odell Brewing brews Isolation Ale as their winter seasonal. This beer is packed with hops character without a lot of the bitterness. It's a bit unusual as a wintertime beer in that it does not carry the huge, dark malt flavors of many of the others.

6. Avery Brewing Old Jubilation

This is one of those examples of artful, adjunct free beers. Avery brews some pretty amazing beer using only the four traditional ingredients.

Old Jubilation certainly fits in the winter warmer category. With heaps of malt and 8% alcohol, this complex and tasty beer will make a welcome addition to your holiday bar.

7. Bush Noël (Scaldis Noël in the US)

This is how the Belgians make a winter warmer. This beer is rich with lots of malt. Though malt dominates, the complexity from the wilder yeasts Belgians tend to use plus the unusual practice of aging this beer with hops flowers in the vats for four to six weeks, gives this brew unique flavor and character.

8. Schlafly Christmas Ale

If you're looking for a beer with all of the traditional yuletide flavors, this is it. Schlafly adds cloves and orange peel to this medium bodied ale. This beer says "Christmas" in a very straight forward way.

9. Young's Winter Warmer

Young's beers are always solid beers and generally excellent examples of style. Their Winter Warmer is a middle of the road warmer. This would be a good beer to have on hand if your some of guests might not be up to the challenge of some of the bigger beers that I've listed above.

10. Your Local Brewery

OK, so this is not a specific beer but I cannot let this opportunity pass on my personal mission to get more people to drink local beer. While I've listed some popular beers here that can help you celebrate the season - and there are many, many others - do not overlook that brewery that's making great beer just a few miles or perhaps even just a few blocks from you. Personally I have two local breweries that make perfectly wonderful winter brews and stopping in for a fresh pint is always a treat. While you should head to the good beer store to stock up on some great seasonal brews you should also stop at the local brewery and see what they've whipped up.

Reference: 

Samuel Adams

Submitted by admin on Mon, 11/03/2008 - 6:48pm
Brand - Samuel Adams
Brewery: 
Boston Beer Company

Jim Koch founded The Boston Beer Company in 1984 because he believed that Americans deserved better beer. Today, we’re a team of about 350 people, and we all share a common passion for bringing great Samuel Adams® beers to beer lovers everywhere. We've worked hard for the many successes we've enjoyed over the years. The Boston Beer Company has been cited as one of the best companies to work for by Boston Magazine, one of the Best Entry-Level Jobs by The Princeton Review, and our beers have won more awards than any beer in history. Jim has been named an "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Inc.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Submitted by admin on Mon, 12/08/2008 - 6:21pm
Product - Sierra Nevada Celebration
Brewed By: 
Sierra Nevada
Self-Defined Style: 
India Pale Ale
Strength (ABV): 
6.8% ABV

The long, cold nights of winter are a little brighter with Celebration Ale. Wonderfully robust and rich, Celebration Ale is dry-hopped for a lively, intense aroma. Brewed especially for the holidays, it is perfect for a festive gathering or for a quiet evening at home.

Best With: 
With an ale as big as Celebration, you need a dish assertive enough to hold its own. Rich meats such as prime rib, lamb, or wild fowl underscore Celebration's huge aroma, making a wonderful holiday meal. Intense, earthy pastas also work well - try goat cheese ravioli, a rich fettuccine, or gnocchi with Gorgonzola cheese sauce.

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome

Submitted by craigh on Mon, 12/08/2008 - 6:29pm
in
Product - Samuel Smith Winter Welcome
Brewed By: 
Samuel Smith
Self-Defined Style: 
Winter Ale
Strength (ABV): 
5.6% ABV

Throughout history, beer of somewhat higher alcohol and richness has been enjoyed for the winter holidays, when old friends get together to enjoy the season. Wassail, a festival to celebrate winter and the beer that goes with it, predates the Christian era. Winter Welcome is vintage-dated with a special label each year. Serve in a traditional tankard for the holidays. Honey-amber-colored, creamy head of small bubbles, floral aroma and delicious malt flavor with great finesse.

Best With: 
Roast goose, smoked turkey with oyster dressing, rack of lamb, candied yams, Smithfield hams, fresh pears and apples, Christmas cake. Serve in crystal tumblers or traditional Yorkshire nonik pint glasses.

Avery Old Jubilation

Submitted by hallertau17 on Mon, 12/08/2008 - 6:18pm
in
Product - Avery Old Jubilation Ale
Brewed By: 
Avery
Self-Defined Style: 
English Strong Ale
Strength (ABV): 
8.0% ABV

Our winter strong ale has a gorgeous mahogany hue, a hint of hazelnuts, and a finish reminiscent of mocha and toffee. No spices, just a perfect blend of five specialty malts. Cellarable for 2 years.

Best With: 
Gamey meats, wild fowl, intense earthy pastas are great choices as well as stews and chilies. Strong and sharp cheeses would pair nicely.

Scaldis Noël

Submitted by cyrano on Mon, 12/08/2008 - 6:29pm
Product - Scaldis Noel
Brewed By: 
Scaldis
Self-Defined Style: 
Belgian Winter Ale
Strength (ABV): 
12.5% ABV

Brasserie Dubuisson's delightful Christmas offering. At 12.5% it is a bit stronger than Scaldis Special Ale. Its burnished ruby-copper color prepares you well for a spicy aroma with notes of caramel and marzipan. The taste is round, with hints of licorice leading to a long, warming finish. A sweet holiday compliment to the famously dry and bracing Scaldis.

Best With: 
Excellent with rich chocolaty desserts.

Schlafly Christmas Ale

Submitted by tom.byrne on Tue, 09/28/2010 - 7:02pm
in
Product - Schlafly Christmas Ale
Brewed By: 
Schlafly
Self-Defined Style: 
Spiced Winter Ale
Strength (ABV): 
8.0% ABV

A full-bodied amber ale to spice up the holidays. ‘Tis the season to enjoy this rich and flavorful ale made with orange peel, cloves and spicy hops.

Best With: 
As specialty beers are typically all made with flavor enhancing ingredients, foods with complimentary ingredients are generally an ideal match. For example, pumpkin beers pair well with spiced pumpkin pie, and chocolate beers tend to work well with chocolate based desserts.

Young's Winter Warmer

Submitted by admin on Mon, 12/08/2008 - 6:29pm
in
Young's Winter Warmer.jpg
Brewed By: 
Young's
Self-Defined Style: 
Winter Warmer
Strength (ABV): 
5.0% ABV

Rich ruby colored beer, almost red in bright light. Complex fruity nose with hints of candy. Luscious and full bodied, with a powerful mouth-coating flavor leading to a bittersweet, vinous finish.

Best With: 
Excellent with spiced desserts such as pumpkin pie, or pecan pie.

Samichlaus

Submitted by admin on Mon, 12/08/2008 - 4:48pm
Brand - Samichlaus
Brewery: 
Brewery Castle Eggenberg

Castle Eggenberg is the oldest, family owned brewery in Austria. It dates back at least to the year 999 A.D. At this time the beer was brewed only for the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. Since 1681 the Castle Brewery Eggenberg has been brewing on a commercial basis. About 200 years ago the ancestors of the present owner bought the castle. Since this time the brewery has now a capacity of around 160.000 Hl per year. The specialty beers are brewed according to the purity law of 1516.

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