The signs are all there—candy cane striped booths in Union Square, ice skating dates in Bryant Park, rumors abounding about a sledding hill in Queens, and the steadily growing sound of sleigh bells—all of a sudden December is upon us. Sure there’s no snow yet but there are plenty of twinkly lights to help us pretend. From here on in it’s party season my sweets and here are some awesome brews to add to your holiday enjoyment. Pop the top and sip with friends or wrap them up and give as gifts—who says you have to bring wine as a hostess gift?
Let’s start with the beers made especially for this time of year, the ones that aren’t available past January but the tastes of which I lust for year round.
My quintessential Christmas brew comes from Belgium in a sleigh pulled by eight pink elephants. Delirium Noel and I began our love affair four years ago, one taste of the spiced warm ale and I was hooked. Hints of plum, brown sugar, orange zest, cardamom, and glorious booze run through Noel, and it should taste boozy, after all it is 10%abv. The art on the bottle is fun and lively and if you can score some of the signature glasses with the Santa hat clad pink elephants you’ll be all set for gift giving or party hosting.
Every year Anchor Steam releases a new Christmas Ale with new label art. This year brings us the 36th Christmas Ale and if past brews are any indicator, it will be delightful. Can I tell you anything else about the flavor of the beer? Nope, sorry. Anchor Steam’s website even says the ingredients and ABV is top secret, the only way to find out anything about this ale is to drink one for yourself. You could even cellar a few Christmas Ales to compare to later incarnations. Want Christmas Ale glassware too? Check out Anchor Steam’s website, where they also have posters with all 36 Christmas Ale labels ever made!
One beer in the world is made only once a year in a brewery in Switzerland on St. Nicholas Eve (December 6), it is then stored in caves under the Alps for an entire year until it is ready for celebratory consumption. Switzerland celebrates Santa Claus apart from Christmas itself and that thinking gave the world a fabulous gift—Samichlaus Lager. Samichlaus is Swiss for Santa Claus but after one of these bad boys Saint Nick definitely won’t be steering his sleigh. These brews tip the scales at above 14%abv and are dark, malty and warming. Juan at Sunswick has been holding a keg of Samiclaus for the past few years and rumor has it they will be serving it this year, alongside this year’s batch.
Let’s move on, shall we, to the beers that aren’t just for the holidays but fit right in at any winter party. I’ve noticed a theme in my choice of holiday favorites, yes most of them are dark and chocolaty here, ‘tis the season for decadence!
Brooklyn Brewery’s take on an Imperial Stout rocks my world. There, I said it. It’s 10%abv so it’s sure to rock yours too but the taste, yummmm. It’s a deep dark chocolate truffle of a beer with malt and espresso notes achieved through the use three mashes and specially roasted malts. It’s only available October-March so get it while the getting’s good and pick up a few extra bottles to age, it makes a great addition to your beer cellar. I enjoy this beer with desert or strong cheeses or, hell, just by itself. Careful though, one too many could result in an abundance of yuletide cheer and an urge to carol obnoxiously.
On a somewhat lighter note, Dogfishhead’s Theobroma, which translates into “food of the gods”, is a more nuanced and subtle way to get your chocolate fix. The recipe is based on the chemical analysis of pottery fragments of a vessel that once contained the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink found in Honduras. Theobroma is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto seeds. Every sip of this beer reveals new flavors to me and, while I could drink it all by myself, I really enjoy sharing a bottle to see my friend’s reactions to it. Joe and I have had a bottle chilling in our fridge for a few months now, waiting for the perfect time to savor it (although writing this column is making it hard for me not to jump the gun and drink it myself. Must have willpower!).
If you love ooey gooey dark chocolate brownies this next beer is for you. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence is a Belgian Dark Ale that was first created to celebrate the brewery’s tenth year. It’s champagne corked bottle makes a lovely gift and even comes as part of their sampler pack, complete with an Ommegang glass. I gave this to my cousin and her husband a few years ago and they haven’t stopped talking about it since. It’s silky, decadent and at only 7%abv you can indulge in more than one glass before things start getting hazy.
Nothing says celebration quite like champagne except, wait for it, champagne beer!! Krait Prestige is my favorite champagne lager, with an abundance of festive bubbles and zesty drinkablity it just may become yours too. Krait is double fermented and bottle conditioned, a tradition typically used in the making of Trappist Ales, in Belgium’s Rodenbach brewery. This beer uses a unique blend of barley malt, imported maize, hops, and rice as well as champagne yeast. My old boss gave me a bottle of this a few years back and Joe and I used it to toast our first Valentine’s Day together. Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice Brut champagne or prosecco at a party but Krait is more than able to fill in and leave your guests satiated.
While these are my personal favorites, there are many, many more holiday brews out there for the savoring. Experiment with a few and see what you like! Several breweries do gift worthy sample packs and even have glassware and other fun things available for the beer lover in your life. Make sure you have the gift-packs gift-wrapped before you bring them home though, or else the beer may not make it to its holiday destination.
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