Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
I am digging the black lager trend, especially when they are the stand-in for a breweries winter seasonal so I knew thatI wanted to highlight Volition from Threes Brewing.
Described as “Cocoa Krispies, Brown Bread Crust, Sarsaparilla, Dried Flowers, Cozy.”
Back in the L.A. Craft Beer heyday, the restaurant Simmzy’s did some brewing of their own but this years Yule Shoot Your Eye Out Holiday Ale is contracted from Smog City Brewing.
I got to sample it weeks before release and it is perfect for those rare cold days in SoCal and it has a nice touch of spice to it as well. Plus I like the old timey tiki-ish label design.
Why choose one beer when you can have four. Samuel Adams is back with another Winter Break Variety Pack that has a new caffeinated addition to it…
I think I will stick with the tried and true Old Fezziwig before the coffee Cold Brew.
Even though it arrived on store shelves way too early for my liking (same with Celebration from Sierra Nevada), I do appreciate the artwork on the labels each year for Deschutes Brewery’s Jubelale.
For 2025, the artist is Susanna Bemetz from Coquille, Oregon.
“The irony of using alcohol ink as my medium of choice is that like nature, it’s also very unpredictable. I never leave my studio without ink on my hands and arms. Because of the nature of my art, I rarely plan exactly what I’m going to paint. Most of the time my vision comes to life through the process of painting. This painting to me represents the holidays with its chaos and vibrant colors, not unlike the hectic unpredictability of children playing, concert singing, big dinners and gift giving.
There is more than one California player in the wet hop holiday ale game, Moonlight Brewing has Tipple.
“settle in with a Tipple. 6.7% ABV and cold conditioned on the same hops as our Homegrown wet hop ale, this beer is bursting with juicy Chinook, Amarillo, Cascade and Strata. Balanced out with the roast and depth of a dark malt for a rich and amazingly complex winter warmer.”
Sadly, this will be the final Santa’s Private Reserve Stout from Rogue Ales as they were shuttered due to a massive amount of debt.
Described as “layered with chocolate, oats, and fruit notes to bring warmth to the season. Bold yet balanced, it’s the perfect companion for long winter nights.”
So RIP to Rogue and pour one out (into a glass)
Let’s stay in the UK for another day have a real low abv (3.4%) candied orange pale ale from Cloudwater Brew Co.
“One of our favorite hops here at the brewery is Loral, with its luscious orange flavours that sit oh-so wonderfully in our core beer Happy. We don’t see this hop get used enough for our liking so we’ve brought back this rebrew of Happy Christmas, a beer that is jam packed full of Loral and leans into the seasonal notes of the festive season!”
Have you had a Wham inspired sour ale? Well Vault City Brewing in Scotland can make that gave you my heart dream a reality.
They also do a Terry’s style chocolate meets orange beer but let’s stick to music, “WHAM! From the first sip you’ll get nostalgic notes of sharp raspberry and fizzy tang taking centre stage in our iconic chew-bar-inspired sour.”
On the fifth day, let there be two winter seasonals from 4 Hands Brewing. Lot of numbers I know but a good spiced ale is a balm in winter as is a winter IPA for when you need to be bitter.
Silent Flight is “a spiced winter warmer featuring freshly ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a bold, warming base beer accented with toasty Munich and rich caramel and toffee malt flavors. “
Earmuffs uses “CRYO hops, a hop product created by freezing raw hop cones to sub-zero temperatures with liquid nitrogen before shattering them, sifting the lupulin and pressing that green goodness into pellets that provide accentuated aromas and flavors.”
This IPA from Hop Butcher for the World has a lot going on like many folks schedules during the Christmas season. There is Rooibos, ginger, cinnamon, two kinds of nuts and orange peel too. A regular British Baking Show.
