I recently updated my post about pumpkin beers. This was a post I originally wrote like 10 years ago, but one that I periodically update when I try new examples of said style. Anyway, it occurred to me that I've missed out on another common seasonal style--Christmas and/or winter beers, which are clearly most popular in winter, and in December especially. So I went out and bought every beer of these sorts that I could reasonably find. (Meaning, ones that could be bought in single bottles, and weren't absurdly expensive.) And then I drank these up, and rated them. I also went back through my notes about beers I've tried over the decades (yes, yes, I'm a beer nerd), and picked out ones that qualify for the list. So here we go. Like with pumpkin beers I'll try to update this one repeatedly and make it a regular December tradition.
But first things first--what exactly is a Christmas or winter beer? Not surprisingly, there aren't strict rules or anything, and individual takes on them can certainly be found. But, as with pumpkin beers, or summer beers, there are some general commonalities. Some of these include the beer being dark, malty, strong, and and spicy. According to a good article in Paste Magazine in 2016 by Jim Vorel, there are four notable examples. First, a winter warmer is dark, strong (5-8% alcohol content), sweet, and with a heavily malty flavor. Hops are mild to nonexistent, and no spices are used. Second, old ale is also rich, sweet, and malty. This is typically an English ale that's been aged. Alcohol content varies, but modern ones tend to be potent, around 8% or more. Third, American Christmas beers, conversely, are spice bombs. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are the most common spices used, but pepper, licorice, cloves, mace, and even spruce tips are also known. Like the previous ones, malt presence tends to be strong, although hoppy examples aren't unheard of. Fourth, and finally, Belgian Christmas ales tend to be strong, malty, and fruity. Some are dark, like quads, but some are pale ales. Drinkers often consider them to be bready, malty, and sometimes with the tastes of gingerbread and cocoa. If we want to be technical, the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) gave official guidelines in 2015. They define this beer style to be a subset of spiced beer, and also being dark, rich, malty, and strong. Hops are absent or subdued. Honey, molasses, and maple syrup may be added. Fruit additives include citrus peels, dried raisins, or plums.
As far as the most popular examples of Christmas or winter beers are concerned, I was glad to see that I've tried a good percentage of these. St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, Troegs' The Mad Elf, and Anchor's Our Special (Christmas) Ale tend to be on most folk's "best of" lists. Also highly respected are Corsendonk's Christmas Ale, Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve, Sam Adam's Winter Lager, Great Lakes' Christmas Ale, Bell's Christmas Ale, Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, Deschutes' Jubelale, and Prairie's Christmas Bomb. But that's enough background, I think. Let's get to the beers! One final note--you'll notice a difference in how detailed the reviews are. Basically, the shorter ones are from years ago, and the longer ones I just had within December of 2022. I'm listing them worst to first, using the American scholastic F through A system. All of these are American-made unless noted. I hope this helps folks (re)discover a seasonal type of beer. And if any readers have their own recommendations for this style I'd like to hear about them in the comments. Also, finally, happy holidays!
Manayunk Festivus. D. Starts off interesting, and spicy, very gingery, but ends very astringent. The end ruins it. ABV (alcohol content) of 7.0%.
Victory Merry Monkey. D+. This is billed as a Belgian style, with cranberry, orange peel, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Had a brownish-yellow color, and a malty odor. Didn't really taste fruit or spices. Overly malty, almost stout-y. Very disappointing beer from a very good brewery. Hard to finish. Boozy and cloyingly sweet. ABV of 10%.
Einstock Icelandic Winter Ale. D+. Malty odor, and dark brown color. Too malty, stout-ish. Weirdly sweet. Not good at all. ABV of 8.0%, made in Iceland.
Abita Christmas Ale. C-. Brown hue, slightly hoppy odor. Odd flavor. Astringent. Very odd. Kind of stout-ish. Hard to rate. Not terrible, but not good, either. ABV not listed.
Shipyard Gingerbread Ale. C. Weird. Definitely ginger-y. Can't decide whether this is refreshing or unpleasantly cloying. Thus the average grade. ABV of 4.6%.
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale. C. Dark brown color, not much of an odor. Kind of a bland brown ale. Not spicy. Not bad, but not especially good, either. ABV of 9.8%, made in Belgium.
Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale. C. Over-carbonated--it overflowed on me. Overall it was kind of an average amber/red. Not great. Kind of disappointing, given the usually good brewery. ABV of 5.3%.
Sly Fox Christmas Winter Warmer. B-. (2016 edition). Spiced with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg. Spicy as expected. Otherwise a little tame. Still better than okay. ABV of 5.5%.
Shiner Holiday Cheer. B-. Brewed with peaches and pecans. Brownish red color, sweet malty odor. I could really taste the peaches. Like a fruit beer rather than a winter one. Not great, but not bad, either. ABV of 5.4%. Made by Spoetzl Brewery.
Oxfordshire Pickled Santa. B-. Nice odor. Decent to good winter seasonal. Some spiciness. Maybe not as good as previous encounter. (No notes, but probably a high "B" or "A" grade. ABV of 6.0%, made in England by Rideway Brewing.
Bison Gingerbread Ale. B-. Good, but would have liked a stronger spicy taste. ABV of 6.0%.
Southern Tier Frosted Sugar Cookie B-. Definite sugary taste. Very sweet. Kind of approaches being too cloyingly sweet, but pulls back just in time. Alright? Weird. Hides alcohol content well. Maybe good as a change-of-pace beer. Don't really know how to rate this one. ABV of 8.6%.
21sr Amendment Fireside Chat. B-. Billed as their winter ale brewed with spices and cocoa nibs. Dark brown in color, almost black. Cocoa odor. Like a brown ale. Stout-ish, but not too much. Some chocolate flavor. Alright. Hides alcohol content well. Reminded me of a marzen, too. ABV of 7.9%.
Corsendonk Christmas Ale. B/B+. Tried this in two different years, and had slightly different impressions. Sweetish odor. Brown hue. Tastes like a brown ale, but some spiciness, and fruity flavor. Hides alcohol content well. I was pleasantly surprised by this. ABV of 8.1 and 8.5%, made in Belgium.
Troegs The Mad Elf. C+/B/A-. Tried this at least 3 times, in different years. This is a holiday ale brewed with honey and cherries. Reddish brown color, odd odor. Strong honey taste, didn't really detect the cherries. I can't explain the discrepancy in my ratings--maybe some batches were better or worse than others, or I got a skunked one, or something. Anyway, at its best it's like a good mead, and at its worst it's still a bit above average. Hides its high alcohol content of 11% well.
Sam Adams Winter Lager. B. Reddish brown color, slight herbal odor. Kind of like an amber. Which isn't my favorite style, but it's alright. Not overly malty. Sweetish. No detectable hop flavors. So more than decent overall, from a good brewery in general. ABV of 5.6%.
Sly Fox Christmas Ale. B+. Ale with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. Brownish-yellow hue, nice spicy odor. Can taste the spices, too. I just wish it was a tiny bit stronger in taste. Just shy of being something really special or great. ABV of 6.3%.
Anchor Our Special Ale. B+. Their Christmas ale. Dark brown color, no real odor. Starts off like a typical brown ale, ends nicely spicy Very good. Surprising. Anchor is a good brewery overall, and this is a quality take. Just shy of great. ABV of 7.2%
Southern Tier 2XMAS. A-. A spiced double ale with orange peel. ginger root, cinnamon, fig paste, cardamom, and cloves. Red-brown hue, strong spice odor. Really enjoyed. Very potent spice bite. Not too malty. To pick nits, so to speak, it could have had a tiny bit more spice flavor. Overall it was really tasty, though. From a brewery that's not afraid to take chances, something to their detriment. ABV of 8%.
Prairie Seasick Crocodile. A. This was something completely different, a sour ale with cranberries, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Which sounds like an abomination, but somehow it works. It's sour, but spicy. I like sours in general, and the addition of spice was nice, not gross. Shockingly tasty. I even like the can, which has Santa being attacked by a crocodile. Made by Krebs Brewing Company. ABV of 6.3%.
Overall, then, it looks like I kind of like Christmas ales/winter beers better than pumpkin beers in general, with a lot of "B" ratings. Which kind of surprised me, since I don't dark, malty beers usually, and many of these are dark and malty. I guess the spices help. Anyway, enjoy!
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