Some Holiday Beers That Brings A Little Cheer

It’s the holiday season. Jews will be celebrating Hanukkah. Christians will be remembering the birth of Jesus and others will be celebrating friends, family, and time off from work. Whatever you may be celebrating this holiday season, the good thing is there are plenty of holiday beers to choose from right now in your local store with which you can open and toast. In order to help you not get overwhelmed with all your Christmas/Holiday brew options, here are some I’d recommend you trying this year.

Let’s start from left to right.

1. Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale: Anchor Brewing started brewing this ale thirty-seven years ago and each year, not only is the tree on the front of the bottle different, but so is the recipe. This a rich, dark spiced ale and of all these beers, I think this one may actually taste more like Christmas than any of the others. This year’s recipe, from what I remember, tastes a lot like pine. It’s good, but the pine is a little too intense for me. Buying this one is risky if all you drink is Bud Light (heaven forbid).

2. Noche Buena: This beer is a new one for me. From what I’ve read, this is Mexico’s only Christmas beer and people apparently love it. Until recently, it was almost impossible to find it here in the United States, but at last, it is now available and not too hard to find. It’s a dark, full-bodied lager (bock) with a clean, smooth and nutty flavor. If you like cerveza, you’ll like this one. It’s a safe purchase.

3. St. Bernardus Christmas Ale: This Belgian abbey ale is strong, dark ale coming in at 10% ABV. It has a deep, dark and rich flavor of dried figs, dates, malt, molasses, clove and spices all mixed together in harmony.

4. Shiner Holiday Cheer: This is one of my favorite holiday beers. Holiday Cheer is a dunkelweizen-style dark wheat ale brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans. If you are a Texan, or just visiting, Shiner Holiday Cheer is a must because “’tis the season for cheer.”

Also brewed right here in Texas is Saint Arnold’s Christmas Ale. This ale is brewed with five different malts, which is why it is not only dark and full-bodied, but high in alcohol context (7% ABV). It’s described as having a spicy hop character, but I find it to be more sweet than anything else. A more hoppy option is Saint Arnold’s Sailing Santa, which is an American IPA.

Ebenezer Ale is brewed by Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, Bridgeport. This one is a rich, complex, bottle-conditioned winter warmer. It’s rich, malty and smooth. Hop taste and aroma is very light, and caramel is the dominate flavor. If you don’t like your beers too sweet or too hoppy, then this ale may be a good one to try. If you prefer a more hoppy beer, then you should go with Sierra Nevada’s Celebration.

Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale is a favorite among beer lovers. This ale is brewed with the first American hops of the growing season. It’s a rich and robust ale that has been dry-hopped thus creating an intense, floral aroma. This American IPA comes in at a nice 6.8% ABV.

I hope this helps a little. I’d love to hear what you love to drink this holiday season.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays!