JG - Winter Beers Pack some cheer
12-09-2010, 10:45 AM
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Dave Woods, The Booze Beat: Breweries’ winter beers pack some cheer
By Dave Woods New media and marketing manager The Joplin Globe Wed Dec 08, 2010, 08:42 AM CST
JOPLIN, Mo. — There comes a time every year when my beer tastes change.
During warmer weather, I go for light beers, the ones suitable for easy summer sipping. When winter arrives, my taste buds know it’s time to man up and go big. I start looking around for my favorite breweries’ Christmas and winter seasonals.
A few years ago, there weren’t that many options. A couple of imports annually satisfied my hankering for spiced cold-weather warmers.
But some Christmas beers taste more like pine trees and reindeer tails than holiday cheer. The Christmas beer landscape has changed, and so have my holiday beer tastes.
Last weekend I scoured the shelves at area beer retailers that specialize in craft brands. I wanted to see what was out there for Christmas gatherings and New Year’s Eve parties. The retailers I shopped all offered a “Build a six pack” deal for around $8.
It’s fun to take a mixed six to holiday parties and sample around. Give these craft selections a chance and you won’t be disappointed.
• Shiner Holiday Cheer: I didn’t know what I was getting into recently when I picked up a six pack of Spoetzl Brewing’s Holiday Cheer, a dark, peach flavored Dunkelweizen. The garnet colored, mildly bitter brew (5.4 percent alcohol by volume) has a big peach flavor and a nutty aftertaste.
The guy at the counter where I picked it up said its hard to get and he sells his supply quickly. No wonder: It’s brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans.
• Redhook’s Winter Hook: I have been a Winter Hook fan for years. It’s always been a drinkable and flavor forward ale. I’ve enjoyed it on tap at Club 609 downtown and know it’s available in bottles around the area. The recipe for this winter — new for 2010 — is a new one and it’s a winner at 6 percent ABV.
• Sam Adams’ Winter Lager: Since 1989, the Boston Beer Company’s Winter Lager has been a staple of the winter beer experience for everyone but me. I hadn’t tried it until recently.
It’s a great balanced beer and not too malty. Winter Lager would have good party appeal and pair well with spicy dishes and bold finger foods.
• Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale: Drink Celebration Ale and you are drinking a part of American brewing history. The bitter seasonal from one of California’s craft beer pioneers is available through January, so get a six now.
The ale has won awards at beer contests around the country in the India Pale Ale category. At 6.8 percent ABV, Celebration packs a punch and will appeal to bitter beer drinkers.
• Anchor Steam’s Liberty Ale: Want to impress holiday party snobs with your knowledge of beer history? Take a six-pack of Anchor’s Liberty Ale.
Liberty, brewed first in 1975 as Anchor’s inaugural Christmas beer, is 6.8 percent ABV and a smooth, medium bitter ale. The reaction to Liberty was so positive then brewery owner Fritz Maytag added it to the year-round line up. I think it’s Anchor’s best beer, but many loyal Steam lager drinkers disagree.
• Boulevard Nutcracker Ale: Nutcracker Ale surprised me. Its dark color made me think it was going to be a super heavy beer, but it was light (5.8 percent ABV) and drinkable. It’s mildly bitter character paired great with a Cajun blackened burger and fries. I suspect it would go well with about any meal.
• Michelob Winter Bourbon Cask Ale: When I picked up Michelob’s holiday beer (6 percent ABV) I was expecting a bitter winter ale and was shocked to get a sweet vanilla flavored brew. I didn’t want to like it, but I did. It’s as close to drinking a cupcake as you will get. I’ll buy it again.
• O’Fallon Brewery’s Cherry Chocolate: If sweet beer — malt liquor in this case — is your thing, it’s hard to imagine one sweeter that this.
This dark cherry cordial flavored beer isn’t for everyone. I think it’s a great beer to share as dessert or the last one of the night. I don’t think I could make it through an entire bottle without going into a sugar coma. I hear the brewery’s Christmas Ale is a great winter beer, but didn’t find it around town.
• Say ‘Yes’ to Ciders: I’m always a big cider guy at the holidays. I love it cold on a summer day and warm on a winter night.
Take a few bottles of hard peach, apple or pear cider and warm it up with a cinnamon stick and some vanilla sugar. It’s a great liquid substitute in a fruit cobbler or pie and — trust me — it isn’t bad to sip while you bake. Wyder’s, Woodchuck and Ace ciders are great brands to try, but many others are available around town.
Merry Christmas and cheers!
Dave Woods, The Booze Beat: Breweries’ winter beers pack some cheer
By Dave Woods New media and marketing manager The Joplin Globe Wed Dec 08, 2010, 08:42 AM CST
JOPLIN, Mo. — There comes a time every year when my beer tastes change.
During warmer weather, I go for light beers, the ones suitable for easy summer sipping. When winter arrives, my taste buds know it’s time to man up and go big. I start looking around for my favorite breweries’ Christmas and winter seasonals.
A few years ago, there weren’t that many options. A couple of imports annually satisfied my hankering for spiced cold-weather warmers.
But some Christmas beers taste more like pine trees and reindeer tails than holiday cheer. The Christmas beer landscape has changed, and so have my holiday beer tastes.
Last weekend I scoured the shelves at area beer retailers that specialize in craft brands. I wanted to see what was out there for Christmas gatherings and New Year’s Eve parties. The retailers I shopped all offered a “Build a six pack” deal for around $8.
It’s fun to take a mixed six to holiday parties and sample around. Give these craft selections a chance and you won’t be disappointed.
• Shiner Holiday Cheer: I didn’t know what I was getting into recently when I picked up a six pack of Spoetzl Brewing’s Holiday Cheer, a dark, peach flavored Dunkelweizen. The garnet colored, mildly bitter brew (5.4 percent alcohol by volume) has a big peach flavor and a nutty aftertaste.
The guy at the counter where I picked it up said its hard to get and he sells his supply quickly. No wonder: It’s brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans.
• Redhook’s Winter Hook: I have been a Winter Hook fan for years. It’s always been a drinkable and flavor forward ale. I’ve enjoyed it on tap at Club 609 downtown and know it’s available in bottles around the area. The recipe for this winter — new for 2010 — is a new one and it’s a winner at 6 percent ABV.
• Sam Adams’ Winter Lager: Since 1989, the Boston Beer Company’s Winter Lager has been a staple of the winter beer experience for everyone but me. I hadn’t tried it until recently.
It’s a great balanced beer and not too malty. Winter Lager would have good party appeal and pair well with spicy dishes and bold finger foods.
• Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale: Drink Celebration Ale and you are drinking a part of American brewing history. The bitter seasonal from one of California’s craft beer pioneers is available through January, so get a six now.
The ale has won awards at beer contests around the country in the India Pale Ale category. At 6.8 percent ABV, Celebration packs a punch and will appeal to bitter beer drinkers.
• Anchor Steam’s Liberty Ale: Want to impress holiday party snobs with your knowledge of beer history? Take a six-pack of Anchor’s Liberty Ale.
Liberty, brewed first in 1975 as Anchor’s inaugural Christmas beer, is 6.8 percent ABV and a smooth, medium bitter ale. The reaction to Liberty was so positive then brewery owner Fritz Maytag added it to the year-round line up. I think it’s Anchor’s best beer, but many loyal Steam lager drinkers disagree.
• Boulevard Nutcracker Ale: Nutcracker Ale surprised me. Its dark color made me think it was going to be a super heavy beer, but it was light (5.8 percent ABV) and drinkable. It’s mildly bitter character paired great with a Cajun blackened burger and fries. I suspect it would go well with about any meal.
• Michelob Winter Bourbon Cask Ale: When I picked up Michelob’s holiday beer (6 percent ABV) I was expecting a bitter winter ale and was shocked to get a sweet vanilla flavored brew. I didn’t want to like it, but I did. It’s as close to drinking a cupcake as you will get. I’ll buy it again.
• O’Fallon Brewery’s Cherry Chocolate: If sweet beer — malt liquor in this case — is your thing, it’s hard to imagine one sweeter that this.
This dark cherry cordial flavored beer isn’t for everyone. I think it’s a great beer to share as dessert or the last one of the night. I don’t think I could make it through an entire bottle without going into a sugar coma. I hear the brewery’s Christmas Ale is a great winter beer, but didn’t find it around town.
• Say ‘Yes’ to Ciders: I’m always a big cider guy at the holidays. I love it cold on a summer day and warm on a winter night.
Take a few bottles of hard peach, apple or pear cider and warm it up with a cinnamon stick and some vanilla sugar. It’s a great liquid substitute in a fruit cobbler or pie and — trust me — it isn’t bad to sip while you bake. Wyder’s, Woodchuck and Ace ciders are great brands to try, but many others are available around town.
Merry Christmas and cheers!
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Pokes28 -- AKA David in Missouri
Pokes28 -- AKA David in Missouri