Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Karl Strauss Four Scowling Owls Belgian Tripel / California
“Don’t upset these angry birds: share a bottle of this year’s Holiday Tripel. Four Scowling Owls – the next release from our “Twelve Days” holiday series – is a robust Belgian style strong ale with orange citrus flavors and a spicy aroma. Amarillo and Mount Rainier hops balance out the Vienna malt character. The finish is dry and warm, perfect for those “chilly” San Diego winters. Birds of a feather drink together.”
Evil Genius Beer Company Naughty or Nice? Brown Ale / Connecticut
“A spiced Winter Ale. Brewed with all-spice, cinnamon, and cloves, combined with our house Belgian yeast delivers the Yuletide season in a glass.”
Perennial Artisan Ales Fete de Noel – Missouri
“Fete de Noel, a strong Belgian-style holiday ale with fresh orange zest and rosemary and aged on raisins!”
Snake River Snow King / Wyoming
“Snow King Mountain is Wyoming’s first ski area founded 75 years ago by Neil Rafferty. Generations of Jackson Hole skiers have cut their teeth on the King. Home to the Jackson Hole Ski Club, Snow King is one of the steepest little hills around. Snow King Pale Ale is a copper colored English American hybrid. On tap in the pub, around town and in a commemorative can, this special pale ale will only run through the winter.”
Worthy Brewing Powder Keg / Oregon
“Powder Keg is a red hued festive IPA with loads of hop flavor and aroma. Piney and citrusy hop character is balanced by a generous dose of crystal malts making this an aggressive yet balanced beer.”
Carolina Brewery Santa’s Secret / North Carolina
“Our winter holiday brew boasts a combination of six different malts working together to produce a rich beer with a soft creamy mouthfeel. Without revealing all of Santa’s secrets, we can say that this tasty ale contains a careful blend of coriander, cinnamon, orange and allspice. We think you’ll agree – it’s the closest thing to Christmas in a glass.”
Brassierie Fantome de Noel / Belgium
“A very dark and entirely unique holiday seasonal beer, at a whopping 10% alc. by volume. Reportedly spiced with honey, caramel, coriander, black pepper, and other secret ingredients. The alcohol content probably goes a long way toward explaining that very warm and satisfied feeling one finds on the very first sip. A rich, dark-flavored beer with lots of deep-roasted chocolate malt, but still fairly dry, with a hint of sourness at the core. It is very spicy, with some winter spruce flavor in the bargain. The wild yeast sourness also adds to its welcoming character.”
Red Hook Winter Hook/ Washington
“Winterhook is the perfect beer to keep warm during cold months after shoveling snow, shredding some powder, or playing hooky to can catch the game. Since it was first brewed, Redhook’s Winterhook has changed slightly each year to celebrate the season and keep everyone on their toes. After all, no one likes getting the same gift twice. The 29th version of Winterhook brewed for this year offers a rich caramel body that balances a big malt backbone with the aggressively dry hopped brew, making this year’s winter ale slightly naughty and very nice.”
Drakes Abominably Jolly / California
“Abominably Jolly will be the snowman to Jolly Rodger’s Dread Pirate- an Imperial White IPA. This Jolly juxtaposition will utilize an intense amount of wheat in the grist for a cloudy appearance, slight graininess, and light citric character that will pair well with the intense dosing of tropical New Zealand and American hops in the kettle and dry hop.”
Food GPS has been running my choices of Top 10 California beer styles. I have covered IPA’s and stouts and now it is time to do a round-up of Holiday beers!
A quick glance at my blog shows my love for the style(s) that encompass the gamut of beer creativity. And one of the best, in my opinion is the Anchor Christmas label and their website has added a cool feature that showcases all the labels in the series…
Check out the range right HERE
