White Christmas Spiced Winter Lager

Nothing special here. I’m not a large lager fan to begin with (unless it’s PBR) and adding spices to it didn’t help. I have to admit, I had this one after a glass of Deschutes’ The Dissident which is a very difficult beer to follow.

Old Jubilation

Avery is awesome. This is a good beer. Has a good malty flavor with hints of hazelnuts and slight chocolate finish. I recommend this one.

I’ll also recommend their Fifteen Anniversary Ale

Special Holiday Ale

Another interesting brew from Stone, Jolly Pumpkin and Nøgne Ø. This thing is brewed with Chestnuts, Juniper Berry, White Sage and Caraway Seed. Pretty good.

Brrr

I’m not a huge fan of Hefeweizen style beers and since Widmer is pretty much known for their Hefe, I generally shy away from the brewery. But I have to say, their Brrr is a really good seasonal beer. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of this brew. Very recommended.

Brown Shugga

Lagunitas is another brewery that rarely disappoints. This “sweet release” brown ale is probably the best brown ale I’ve tasted. I know, I’ve said that before, but I really think this one is better. Enjoy!

Winter Warmer

Skyscraper is a new brewery that sprung up in 2007 down here in Souther California (El Monte of all places). I tried their Winter Warmer last year at Hollingshead and liked it enough to buy a bottle this year.

Holiday Porter

Another decent beer from Sam Adams. I picked up a sampler pack of Samuel Adams holiday beers so I have a couple more to write about a little later. But this Holiday Porter is good. Worth a try. So far, I’m not disappointed of the purchase.

Wow. OK, so with the previous 18 beers and these seven, I am now at 25 holiday beers. I think I can squeeze in five more before the weekend is over to bring me to 30. Stay tuned. Since everyone likes a good list, I’ll have a top 10 list to round up the best of the best of 2008/2009 holiday season.

The Belgium’s are truly maters at brewing and, in general, most of the Belgium beers I’ve tried have been really good. Affligem’s Noël, while a true Belgium in flavor, is nothing to write home about. It’s certainly no St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, but good overall. Smells of good Belgium with hints of spices and caramel and medium brown in color. Careful pouring this, I ended up with a good three inches of cream colored head in one glass (and it takes forever to dissipate). While the taste is that of a decent Belgium strong ale, it didn’t stand out for me.

Worth a try, but don’t go out of your way to hunt this one down.

Hop heads rejoice! This YuleSmith Holiday Ale is chock full of hops. It’s very different from your traditional holiday selection but a welcome change from norm. It has that murky golden color and a wonderful citrus hop smell. It also has an awesome hop kick that lingers in the back of your mouth. If your a true hop head, this is the holiday ale for you. Just pay attention when picking up a bottle; YuleSmith comes in a summer version as well. The summer version comes in a patriotic, 4th of July bottle. It’s hard to miss, but I made the mistake last year and was forced to drink both (such a shame, I know).

Here’s yet another beer from a brewery in which I am less familiar with. I was pleasantly surprised with this fantastic winter warmer! It has a nice dark, reddish-brown color and lovely smell. You can definitely smell the hops amongst the various hints of nutty ale goodness. I starts off with a traditional English ale flavor and finished with a nice hop bitter. Another sleeper in my book.

Highly recommended! I will have to try some of their other offerings for sure. In particular, the Chamberlain Pale Ale and the other winter beer, Longfellow, named after poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Hopefully, I can find some before the end of the holiday season.

Anderson Valley makes some really good beers. Even better is the fact that you can usually get some at Trader Joe’s at a reasonable price. Winter Solstice is a really decent ale. It’s smooth, full bodied and flavorful. Last year I seem to remember it having a distinct vanilla finish which I didn’t taste so much in this year’s batch (which, to me, is a good thing). It’s relatively low in ABV so don’t be afraid to have a couple on a crisp, winter night.

While we’re talking about Anderson Valley, I must mention their Hop Ottin’ IPA. It’s a really good India Pale Ale with a balanced flavor to hop ratio and great floral scent. Hit up Trader Joe’s tonight and pick some up. Good stuff!

Oh what a lovely Belgium ale this Trader Joe’s 2008 Vintage Ale. With its dark and murky medium brown color and that wonderful Belgium scent with hints of fruits and flowers, this wonderful holiday beer is sure to please. It has a nice off white head that slowly decreases over the course of several minutes and is relatively effervescent, almost champaign like. It has that unmistakable Belgium dubbel flavor mixed with sweet holiday goodness and coffee and an almost toffee like after-taste. I have to say, for the price ($4.99 for a 750ml, corked and caged bottle), this is an excellent beer. I don’t think you can find a beer at this price that is as good as this.

Full Sail Brewing is yet another brewery that brews many a beer that rarely disappoints and I generally like anything they have to offer. Wassail is perfect example of Winter Warmer ale with a good aroma and excellent hop flavor. Most winter warmers that I have had tend to lose their hop taste but Wassail nails it. It pours a lovely dark brown with nice subtle head. It’s crisp, hop flavor and holiday spice tones is a warm welcome on a cold winter night.

New Belgium is always a mixed bag for me. I really dislike Fat Tire and that seems to be everywhere these days. It’s sad too, because I think most of the other beers I’ve tried from them are far superior. 2° Below is a really good example of such a beer. It’s somewhat crisp and spicy and finishes like an ale. New Belgium calls it a Winter Warmer, others call it an ESB or strong bitter. I think it’s closer to a winter warmer though. Anyway, It’s a really good beer and I would recommend it.

I can’t say I’ve tried any thing from Big Sky Brewing before, but this Powder Hound Winter Ale is a really good beer. It tastes like a cross between a winter warmer and a porter with those wonderful winter ale flavors. It has a deep reddish brown color and decent head and smells oh so good. I picked this up at Bev Mo strictly because of the name (being a dog owner) and I have to say, it was a very good call. I even picked up a second sixer over Thanksgiving to share with the family.

Highly recommended. Might just make the top 10!

A true winter warmer. Anchor has been brewing their Christmas Ale since 1975. While not a top-ten contender (for me), it is definitely an enjoyable beverage. It pours a nice dark brown color with thick, brownish head. The first thing you’ll notice is it’s strong spiced aroma. Hints of fruits and spices mixed together with a malty goodness and tangy finish, this is surely a good holiday beer. I’d even go so far as to say it’s the epitome of Christmas ales.

It’s like Christmas, in a bottle.