Holiday cheers
Five seasonal beers sure to warm you up this winter
Holiday beer selection
Thursday, December 17, 2009
You’re holed up inside because it’s cold enough outdoors that a slight breeze could fell a tree, and you’re planted in front of the fire or posted up near the widest available heating duct. Or maybe you're piled under a ratty old blanket in your Midtown apartment. Either way, after a while thirst strikes. Your instinct may be to reach for cocoa, a toddy, or even a Tom & Jerry. But don’t forget about your trusty summertime tipple with a dark and delicious winter guise — beer.
America’s love affair with craft beer has been growing steadily over the past five years, and with demand has come a bountiful and varied supply. The wintertime, surprisingly, is when many breweries throughout the world produce some of their richest, most rewarding brews, from Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale to hometown hero Boulevard's Nutcracker Ale.
“Around this time of year, we see a surge in craft beer and microbrew sales, although the biggest season for beer is always summer,” says Matt Vincent, liquor manager at Gomer’s South. “There are brand loyalists coming in to get [their seasonal], but there are those who want to try new beers, and seasonals are appealing because of the difference in the stock and the methods of the brewery.”
Vincent’s favorite right now is Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale. “It’s a classic example of a traditional English winter warmer,” he says.
Here’s our take on that beer as well as profiles of four more soon-to-be favorites. If you’re still skeptical about suds in these snow-blind times, let’s just say Santa doesn’t pack that famous belly full of Mrs. Claus’s cookies alone.
Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale — 6% Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
This ultra-traditional English ale is fermented in Yorkshire stone squares using a method that involves skimming the fermenting yeast off of the top of the squares into receptacles placed along their sides. This method contributes both an upfront smoothness and an underlying earthiness to the beer. The Winter Welcome pours a reddish amber with a very flat, carbonated head, and possesses an aroma of wet hops with notes of allspice and nutmeg. You’ll taste a lot of toasted malt on the front end, along with a little lemon. This gives way to those wet hops once again and finishes with a sweet bang in the form of Belgian candy sugar and dried peaches. As it sits, the beer develops a coppery aftertaste as well.
Although it may seem a little watery to those who are accustomed to bold IPAs, and their extreme beer counterparts, our lone British representative is an exceptionally balanced beer, utilizing Fuggle and Golding hops to their full potential. Fans of dark lagers and medium-bodied ales will want to throw a bottle of Winter Welcome in the fridge post haste.
Goose Island Christmas Ale — 5.6 % ABV
This light ale is a nod to the English ale style, with an appearance of deep reddish brown, almost a sequoia tone. The half-finger head is a light tan, leaving little lacing on the interior of the glass. As it’s raised to the lips, there’s a slight air of damp leaves and wood, as well as a subtle nuttiness, similar to Goose Island’s Hex Nut Brown Ale. A sip brings dark fruits (especially cherries) right away, followed by that distinct nut taste and a little juniper berry with a dry, almost sawdusty finish.
This beer offers a little of the spice but not a lot of the staying power of some of its peers. It is, however, a recipe unique to 2009, as the Christmas Ale formula changes every year at Goose Island. You can also feel good about yourself while drinking it, as proceeds from its sale are donated to the Chicago Christmas Ship, which brings Christmas trees from Michigan to Chicago’s lakefront for the city’s less fortunate families.
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA — 6.2% ABV
“Watch out where the huskies go, and don’t you eat that yellow snow,” quoth Frank Zappa, and while he may have been against consuming contaminated condensation, he probably would have given the A-OK to tossing back a glass of Rogue’s Yellow Snow IPA.
At first glance, the Rogue is a cloudy golden brown, with a creamy head that gives way to pretty heavy lacing and coating on the glass. Staying true to its Pacific Northwest roots, a nose of strong berries (strawberries in particular) and pine wafts up to greet you, along with some playfully astringent hop smells. Once it hits your tongue, it’s all about hops, hops, and more hops. Sure, there are background hints of pine, grass, and wax, but this beer’s complexity lies more in its mouthfeel, which comes on strong as the hops assert themselves and coats the mouth and tongue and immediately changes to a dry, lingering bitterness. This beer is definitely for the hop-heads only, who will be all over the use of Rogue Farms’ own strain of Willamette hops and the lush bouquet of Yellow Snow. Now if they could only get to work on a Peaches En Regalia Wheat…
Left Hand Snowbound Winter Ale — 8.6% ABV
This ale combines Belgian body and color with a veritable smorgasboard of complex flavors that are sure to please any beer bacchanal (and perhaps even the beer illiterate amongst us — it’s that good). The pour is a gorgeous maple or mahogany brown, with virtually no head and subdued carbonation. A lift of the snifter to your sniffer yields an inconclusive preview of roasted chestnuts, chocolate, and a curious undertone of circus peanuts.
The first sip is a rolling rush of flavor: cinnamon-spiced raisins and dates, glazed fruits, and sweet bread (think panettone) give way to undeniable honey flavors at mid-palate. The back end is full of more of that soothing cinnamon, some almond and those circus peanuts once again (most likely due to the orange and honey that are involved in the brewing of Snowbound). Left Hand is a brewery whose selections have really taken a foothold in Kansas City over the last year or so, and with beers like this one, it’s easy to see why. This brew could easily unite both the sud snob and wine ‘n’ spirits sides of your holiday crew. Highly recommended.
Gouden Carolus Noel — 10% ABV
Belgium. The mere mention of it elicits a knowing nod of anyone even halfway serious about drinking good beer. Belgians have not only brought consistently amazing, stylistically varied, and unusually strong beer to the world since the Middle Ages, but their techniques and passion for beer inspired some of the US’s first and now largest microbrewers. The Carolus series is produced by Het Anker brewery, and their Christmas Ale has been brewed for the season since the founding of Het Anker in 1369.
The Noel pours a milk-chocolatey brown that gives way to a deep copper as it sits and the awakened yeast begins to settle. The head disappears almost immediately, typical of a higher ABV beer. Its scent is foremost one of whiskey, which is not-so-coincidentally the other major product of Het Anker. After the alcohol tickles your nostrils, it gives way to hints of rye bread and toffee. The taste profile begins with a distinct spiciness that is blown away immediately by a parade of winter fruit; pears, apples, plums, and figs are all hitting the big dance on your tongue. The finish is again a warming, whiskey-esque experience, with malt and bread bringing it all to a rest. At 10% ABV, the Noel is most definitely a sit and sip beverage, not a session beer.
The beers profiled above are available at Lukas Liquors and Gomer’s as well as wherever else fine craft and import beers are sold. Don’t underestimate the power of asking your local liquor store or party shop owners if they’ll bring something in for you — they can be surprisingly accommodating. Merry Sips-mas and a Happy New Beer, everyone.
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