The Best Beers for the Season Part 1

Winter is meant for beer.

by Joseph Elia

Welcome to the best beer drinking season of the year. Oh sure I enjoy  cracking a few at the beach or poolside. There’s nothing like some suds, sand, and sun on a warm summer day. I also like sitting on the hood of an F150 on a starry summer night kicking back with some domestic lagers and relaxing with good friends.

While those are certainly two drinking highlights of my warmer months, they don't really compare to cold weather sessioning. First off winter beers are bigger, more flavorful, and warming. For the first half of the season we are looser, more festive, and more socially engaged than other seasons. All great mindsets for the fraternity that is beer. During the last half of the season we are a little more despondent, isolated, and tired of the drudgery of winter. All great mindsets for the comfort of beer. Finally, winter beers pair well with the celebratory meals of our gatherings and with the comfort foods of our solitude.

Try Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, Great Lakes
Edmond Fitzgerald, and North Coast Old Rasputin by the fire this winter.

At this time of year people naturally gravitate to Porters and Stouts with good reason. The higher ABV and deep rich flavor of these styles are excellent cold weather companions. They pair well with hearty soups and stews and roasted meats. They are also excellent companions fireside.
Enjoy these beers by first pulling them out of the fridge and letting them stand about 10 minutes before drinking. Bringing these styles to proper temperature releases the fullness of their flavor. A good Porter or Stout will deliver flavors of chocolate, coffee, and caramel which are naturally derived from the malts used in the brewing process. Many also add adjuncts such cacao, coffee, and other flavorings. A barrel aged Stout is really the highlight of these styles. Aged in wood barrels which were used to age liquors such as bourbon add another dimension of flavor that is particularly suited to the season. (Be sure to stop by our Stouts and Porter tasting tomorrow 11/30 from 5pm to 8pm)

Click here if you Like IPAs in WInter to check out my ode to Sierra Nevada Celebration

Alesmith Old Numbskull, Victory Old Horizontal, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
and Anchor Old Foghorn are excellent examples of Barley Wines.

Stone Arrogant Bastard and
Lagunitas Brown Shugga'
are excellent strong ales

Barley Wines also make a nice addition to your winter drinking line up. Barley Wine is a style of ale that originated in ancient Greece. They are strong, robust and often very intense. They can have a musty smell or flavor, have a tendency to be sweeter than most ales, and can be very boozy. They are lush with notes of brown sugar, fruit, raisin, or fig; flavors derived naturally during fermentation not through flavoring or additives. American Barley Wines have a tendency to be heavily hopped while British versions of the style have little to no hop profile, are maltier and can be cloyingly sweet. Because of the strong flavors presented in a Barley Wine I don’t encourage pairing them with food. These should be consumed much like a dessert wine or a cognac or brandy. They are slow sipping beers that are perfect after being outside on a chilly day or to cap off your evening. They also age exceptionally well.

Click here to Save your holiday sanity with these beers!

Similar to Barley Wines, Strong Ales, Old Ales, Stock Ales, and Winter Warmers are malty higher ABV beers that accompany the season well. Winter Warmers are often flavored or spiced and are best consumed as one would consume a mulled wine. Strong and Old ales can be paired with more flavorful roasted meats like beef and lamb and particularly game meats like rabbit and venison. A spiced Winter Warmer can be paired with as long as the spice compliments the food. All can pair nicely with a sweet fruit based dessert.

Read part 2 here