It's the most wonderful time of year - for beer! That's not a typical Christmas carol lyric, but it should be, because the December holiday season is the best time to sample some pretty interesting and creative brews.
Belgians have been enjoying special holiday beers, which traditionally include flavors like nutmeg and cinnamon, for decades. But American brewers are catching up. Most of these beers are brewed in small batches that are only available this time of year. But returning to them each year just makes you feel like you're catching up with an old friend you only get to see around the holidays. In fact, beer fanatics have been known to make the drive from New York City to Pennsylvania just to get reacquainted with a "special holiday friend" - the legendary Great Lakes Christmas Ale.
I'll confess to being one of those eager travelers (as if you hadn't figured that out already!) because, for beer geeks like me, the hustle and bustle of the holidays includes searching out rare and delicious holiday ales - like Samichlaus. Talk about rare beers! The Swiss-German dark brown beer is brewed only once a year on a single day, Dec. 6, to celebrate St. Nicholas Day in Austria.
Austria may be too far for you to go for a beer, but if you love celebrating this magical time of year with an equally magical beer, read on to discover some of my favorites. Hopefully, they'll become your favorites too.
RICHARD CHRISTY'S LIST OF GREAT TASTING AND FESTIVE CHRISTMAS BEERS
Hardywood Gingerbread Stout - An Imperial Milk Stout that tastes like the liquid version of a delicious gingerbread cookie, Hardywood Gingerbread Stout is prized by beer aficionados. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle of this brew, then you have scored one of the most festively delicious ales in the world. Getting your hands on the rum barrel- or bourbon barrel-aged version makes you even luckier. No doubt you'll have many jealous friends.
Sierra Nevada Celebration - This is a tried-and-true Christmas classic, and one of the first seasonal beers I ever sampled. I'm always telling people that it's like drinking a Christmas tree: hoppy with hints of pine. If you love IPAs, then chances are you will love this holiday hop-fest. I love the festive artwork on the bottle as well. A cozy cabin in the snow seems like the perfect place to drink a holiday beer.
Troegs Mad Elf - Sine it's made with cherries, this beer is as delicious to drink as it is to use for cooking. In fact, my wife and I use it to make beer can turkey. Troegs is a nice sipping beer with an 11 percent ABV that tastes even better when aged for a bit. Sip it while watching the Will Ferrell Christmas classic comedy "Elf."
Southern Tier Krampus - You have to love a beer named after an evil European Christmas demon who punishes bad kids! Southern Tier makes my favorite pumpkin ale, Pumking, and it also does an amazing job with Krampus, an Imperial Helles-style lager. Drink it while watching the new "Krampus film" (I can't wait to see it). The movie is currently in theaters, so it's up to you to try and sneak a bottle in. I will neither confirm nor deny whether I'll attempt to do the same.
Anchor Christmas Ale - This was one of the very first holiday beers made in America, and I love the fact that the recipe and the label's artwork feature a different holiday tree each year. I enjoy Anchor Christmas Ale's offering each year; it's another of the seasonal beers that has pine undertones and - to me - smells like a fresh Christmas tree. The larger bottles of Anchor Christmas Ale make a great gift for the beer lover in your life.
Samuel Adams Merry Mischief and Old Fezziwig - These are two delicious holiday beers from Samuel Adams' sizable catalog of holiday beers. Old Fezziwig is the beer that pretty much opened the door to me for holiday beers back in the early '90s. I was first drawn to it by the festive label, which depicts Fezziwig - a character from the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol" - dancing in holiday joy. I love the spices contained in this ale. Merry Mischief is the company's newer holiday offering that, like Hardywood Gingerbread Stout, tastes like gingerbread cookies in a bottle.
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale - This is a Belgian Christmas classic that tastes like some of the best holiday toffees. With hints of chocolate and cinnamon, St. Bernardus is the perfect beer to sip while wrapping Christmas gifts. Light a Frosted Cedar Wreath- scented Yankee Candle (my favorite this time of year), and you're setting a holiday mood!
Delirium Noel - This Belgian Christmas classic makes another great gift for beer geeks and novices alike. The appearance of the frosty white bottle all by itself is enough to convince anyone of its promise of liquid festivity within. It has a sweet, fruity taste that will have you singing "It's a Marshmallow World" long before you get to the bottom of that beautiful bottle.
Ninkasi Sleigh'r - As a metal head, what can I say about a Christmas beer that tastes good and sports one of the coolest labels out there? It features good old Santa throwing up the metal horns and includes a logo similar the one claimed by the band Slayer. I bought a case of Ninkasi Sleigh'r two years ago, and my metal head friends still tell me how awesome a gift it was.
Corsendonk Christmas Ale - This is another great Belgian holiday ale that's right up there with St. Bernardus Christmas Ale. It's truly one of the most delicious Christmas beers you'll ever have the pleasure of drinking - so tasty and thick with Christmas cheer you almost feel like chewing it. Corsendonk Christmas Ale is available in a tin and as a set, so why not give a gift that has the potential to keep on giving?
Samichlaus - As I mentioned I my introduction, this is an extremely rare Austrian beer that's brewed just one day a year, Dec. 6, on St. Nicholas Day. Samichlaus - which is Swiss-German for Santa Claus - contains hints of cinnamon, chocolate and other delicious flavors that will make you wish it were more readily available. But be careful with this beer! It has a 14 percent ABV! That, along with its delicious taste, could have you trying to photocopy your naked butt cheeks at the yearly holiday office party. You don't want to start off the New Year unemployed, so drink responsibly.
Merry Christmas - and to all a good beer!
Richard Christy is a radio personality, musician and longtime beer lover. He can be reached on Twitter @cwotd.
