When it comes to beer, the winter/holiday season will always be my favorite time of year. The annual return of many favorites made over so many years, they can rightfully be deemed classics. Memories abound here too. For I recall first tastings: Samuel Adams Winter Lager, when it was just a non spiced, raw wheat beer.
La Binchoise Speciale Noel: the incredible Belgian Christmas wassail, back when a gentleman from Michigan, Jeff Dafoe, introduced this world classic to the United States for the first time, 14 years ago.
I will also never forget my friend Gar’s reaction to first tasting Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 1993: “that’s one spicy taco!”
It is impossible for me to forget these things. The first Anchor Brewing “Our Special Ale” was the 17th edition of their Christmas offering. As a determined seeker of beer, this was quite a revelation.
The same can said of my beloved Saranac Season’s Best (an all-time Beer Doctor favorite). At one time it was a Holiday Amber and then later, Nut Brown Lager. A Vienna style beer, rich in malt flavor with lively hops, but not extreme or boozy in any way. It has become nearly impossible to obtain in Ohio any longer. The brewery was kind enough to send a gift of a six pack, right after the New Year of 1997. Such kindness and generosity I will never forget.
There have been many surprises along the way. Coors Winterfest 1995, was truly a shock for how good it was in those days, when macro and mini breweries were marketed like the Berlin Wall, where never the twain shall meet.
I would also like to mention that Leinenkugel’s Winter Lager was a great moderately priced holiday beer, that alas, was abandoned. Much of the distinctive aspects of the Leinie portfolio has been lost, as they aggressively market more pedestrian beers.
Moving away from remembrance of beers past, I would like to mention that this year is the first time I’ve tried Shiner Holiday Cheer, a unique dark wheat ale brewed with peaches and pecans. A very tasty, original recipe contribution.
For flat-out big time boozy wassail, Lakefront Brewery’s Holiday Spice Lager Beer, is what the doctor ordered. A massive, full strength, bold Holiday beer.
Cheers!
My only prayer is Thank You!

The Beer Doctor

The Holiday/Winter beer investigations continue. I am going to have to do some travel to expand the portfolio of bottled offerings. Like all true lovers of this ancient beverage, we know, WE JUST SIMPLY KNOW, that there is no such thing as too much beer!
Now some misunderstood souls will see this as an endorsement for drinking excess, Not so! There are beers (Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout for example) so rich and full that one is certainly enough. No, what I mean is, in the long scheme of things, like a beer blogger in Alaska once noted, you can be stocked full with all kinds of beer, but there will always be something you would like to have on hand, to make an occasion or holiday complete. It is the seeking where a lot of the love comes in.
Recently I went to beeradvocate.com to read what others thought of this year’s “Our Special Ale” from the Anchor Brewing Company. It was there I noticed that under category, it was listed as “winter warmer”. Winter Warmer? When did that become a recipe definition?
Mind you, I am old school. I was once at a trade show talking to sales reps from the Boston Beer Company, who happily discovered I knew more about the history of Samuel Adams Winter Lager than they did, simply because I was drinking it before they were legally old enough to imbibe. But the winter warmer definition is disturbing to me, because Winter/Holiday beers have always been my favorite subject. Winter warmer is a vague definition, like the equally stupid “session beer” which can best be described as: Well I see you guys are going to pound a few.
Winter/Holiday beers have many descriptions. Wassail for example, is ale with spices, Anchor’s 34th edition is a prime example. Winter Ale or Old English Ale, is a non-spiced ale that puts great emphasis on malts, and the interplay between malts and hops, that change definition somewhat, through the passage of time, when hops, which were once in the foreground, fade into the malty background. A once prime example of this was King & Barnes in England. Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome is another. In the United States, Goose Island, Avery, Great Divide, all pay tribute to this, with big malty productions.
A more recent, but much beloved development is the West Coast idea of making India Pale Ale as a holiday offering. The most famous example of this is Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale. Mendocino Brewing does this also. So does Rogue Brewing, with their Santa’s Private Reserve Ale.
Another hoppy take is Holiday Amber, where hops are combined with a more malty approach, Magic Hat’s Roxy Rolles, is a fine example.
Bottom fermented beers, or what is known in the U.S. as lager, have their own storied history in the making of holiday beer. Christmas Bock, a tradition that dates back to at least 1543, with the world famous Wurzburger Holiday Bier. Penn Brewing continues this tradition with their St. Nikolaus Bock, along with other brewpubs and homebrewers. I have often been asked, is Sam Adams Winter Lager a wassail? Not exactly. It is a spiced, dunkelweizen bock. Old Fezziwig Ale is Samuel Adams wassail.
The term Festive Ale, is sometimes used, which often refers to strong barleywine style ales. In the United States, Stone Brewing’s Double Bastard Ale, is a prime example.
The Belgians have their own unique contribution to the holiday portfolio. Affligem’s Noel, Scaldis Noel, Stille Nocht, Delerium Noel are some examples. These are ales that sometimes use fruit, spices and honey. All are flavor rich and strong.
Add to all of this, ales that are aged in oak, and it becomes quite obvious that the  term “winter warmer”, simply will not do, when describing the holiday beer universe.
As always, thank you.

There are many different approaches to holiday beer. There is the English style old winter ale, the hoppy IPA style, the wassail style of ale, not to be confused with spiced versions of lager, such as Samuel Adams Winter Lager, a spiced dunkelweizen bock. Add to that the many variations of porter, imperial stouts which utilize cocoa and such, and you have a plethora of products to choose from.
To start off, I would like to cover some annual classics… given that distinction after many years of sampling. Snow Cap Ale from Pyramid Breweries comes to mind, its dark amber color, with its unmistakable malty nose. I could certainly make this one out in a blind taste test. The rich malty character made even more distinctive by the spicy interplay with the hops. Unmistakable.
Three Holiday offerings from breweries in Colorado, reveal how great United States brewing has become. Breckenridge Christmas Ale has always been good, but over the years this recipe has evolved to the point of greatness. A rich semi-dry palate from an invigorating malt presentation, that is complex but without being ponderous. A very festive holiday ale indeed.
Great Divide Brewing’s Hibernation Ale is a rich brown pour with a coppery undertone. A glorious take on strong winter ale, with plenty of malted strength and flavor complexity to make this a go-to choice on a cold winter night.
The same can be said of Avery’s Old Jubilation Ale, another big time malt creation, full of chocolate to mocha to vanilla notes. Another Colorado brew of marvelous depth. These beers seem to beg the question: do you want to slam some swill? or do you to drink an actual beer?
When it comes to holiday spiced ale in the United States, the inimitable champion is Anchor Brewing’s “Our Special Ale”, the 34th edition of their Christmas wassail, with its pine-spruce essence reappearing every year in the aroma. Staying within the palate parameters of this much discussed ale, that changes, or more accurately, adds variations to the recipe, year after year, this version in no way disappoints. A very festive, flavorful, easy to drink Christmas ale. I would forget about storing this for later, this beer has no need need to improve with time. There is plenty of complexity to experience while enjoying this fresh.
By contrast, Harpoon’s Winter Warmer is a straight forward, rather rough recipe, which simply puts emphasis on cinnamon and nutmeg.
Blue Moon’s Full Moon Winter Ale makes Belgian claims by its use of dark candy sugar, but it is not Belgian style ale at all. Instead, there is a full body, malty ale of moderate strength, that is hearty, smooth, and approachable.
One holiday creation, it is said will develop over five years, and that is Goose Island Christmas Ale, the mahogany colored pour from the Chicago beer company. Having sampled “vintage” versions, the ale will reveal its British based lineage, but this only deprives you of the wonderful flavor of a fresh bottle. With its chocolate-citrus flavor notes. This finishes with an orange-chocolate note. Fantastic. Not to be missed.
Probably one of the greatest recipes in production at present is Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Winter Ale, an almost unbelievable tribute to the Scottish Maris Otter malts. Of all the wonderful beers of this season, I hold this in the highest regard. Cheers!