Christmas Beers

It's been a while since I've posted here and for that I apologize. As 2010 comes to a close, I will make a commitment to post once a week, save for vacation.

I want to take a minute to talk about Christmas beers. There are two ways to look at this: 1. Beers brewed to be enjoyed at Christmas, and 2. Beers to give as Christmas gifts.

If you're reading this there's a pretty good chance you like good beer. Maybe you prefer a hop heavy beer that's kind of like a double-barreled shotgun blast of pine cones in your mouth. Maybe you prefer a more deftly balanced brown ale. Perhaps it's the crisp and clean lagers that strike your beer fancy. Regardless of what you like, you'll never look a gift beer in the spout. Even if somebody buys you something horrible, like Bud Dry, you know full well you can simply re-gift that swill to some idiot who will love it.

Of course the best way to go is to buy local. If you're buying for somebody who lives out of town, the typical stuff from your local brew pub is going to be exotic. Another nifty trick is to collect beer as you travel. Putting a sampler sixer of beers from various places together over the course of a few months is also really cool. Even if every beer in the package is garbage, there's something to be said for trying a bunch of different beers.

Now, the best way to handle the multiple location pack is to focus on one style. In the US, virtually every brewer views their pale ale as the flagship beer. With a few exceptions, pale ales are where craft breweries start.

Now if you know your beer buddy isn't into hops you can go with porters and stouts. I consider myself a hop head but I love a nice smoky porter.


Christmas drinking is best kept local. As my friend we'll call Bob will tell you, cold and blustery nights are perfect for a good winter warmer. Winter warmers are bull-bodied ales that ease back on the hops and balance the malt with spices. Some are more subtle than others. 21st Ammendment Brewery out of San Francisco makes a Winter Ale called Fireside Chat. This beer first struck me as very good, but after a while I found the spices a little overwhelming.

Locally I have access to threw very good Warmers. Great Lakes Brewing Company has a legendary seasonal with the clever name, Christmas Ale. This is a subtle beer that is easy to drink. It's not too heavy, hoppy or spicy but it is a fast moving beer. GLBC has a hard time keeping up with demand and reportedly doesn't fulfill keg orders to bars that don't keep a GLBC tap running all year.

Columbus Brewing Company has a simply named Winter Warmer that has a little more body. There's almost a hint of bitter chocolate in the beer which might be the Maris Otter Malts. Rumor has it they have a very distinctive flavor.

I also like Thirsty Dog's 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale which is similar to Christmas Ale but with a bit of nutmeg. It's not overpowering and the body seems just a bit fuller than the other two Ohio offerings mentioned here. All three beers are excellent, for the style.

Another one worth mentioning is Shiner's Holiday Cheer. Now this is a little weird, but somehow it gets pulled off in the end. Shiner takes a dunkelweizen adds pecans and peaches to the brewing process. Since the peaches aren't added to the mix after the fact, their influence is subtle. It's almost an aromatic note, but there's some peach aftertaste as well.

I shouldn't like it, but I do, granted I have never had more than one in any given sitting so it's possible that this particular holiday offering gets tiresome midway through the second round.