This time of year, a certain type of booze is as common as a lit-up wreath hanging above your favorite bar: tall, dark bottles labeled with Christmas trees or winking Santas. The uninitiated might assume the beer inside tastes, I don’t know, Christmassy? Thick and syrupy and pumpkin spiced and maybe a little like pine trees? Like a December version of the much-maligned pumpkin beer?
In reality, no two Christmas beers taste the same. “Christmas beers are more about the tradition of making a special beer around this time of year,” says Mike Amidei, Beverage Manager at Brooklyn beer shrine Tørst. So...they’re Christmas beers just because they’re sold at Christmas? Pretty much.
The good news is that there’s a Christmas beer that will suit just about every taste. Below, Amidei runs through a few of his recommendations. Grab one on the way to your next holiday party and it will be a very merry Christmas, indeed.
2017 Anchor Christmas Ale
“This is the one that kicked off Christmas beer here in the US,” says Amidei. Anchor has been making a Christmas beer for 43 years, and each year they make a new recipe; they describe this year’s as a “smooth and creamy winter warmer with rich flavors of cacao, toffee, and roasted nuts, and subtle hints of honey and herbal spice.”
“It’s almost like a gift,” Amidei says. “You never really know what you're getting in advance.”
Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA
This one is “a very different style from what a lot of people think of as a Christmas beer,” says Amidei. It’s a malt-forward, balanced IPA that’s “a little bit on the piney side.” It’s also a little under 7% ABV, which is a nice relief—since Christmas beers can get pretty boozy.
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
Speaking of boozy, the St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is a 10% Belgian strong ale. Amidei calls it “really well balanced, got a touch of licorice spice, kind of bready. It’s a really great beer.” And good for anyone who wants something nice and strong.
Dupont’s Avec Les Bons Voeux
Avec Les Bons Voeux was never meant to be mass produced. Belgium-based Dupont would just “brew it for their best accounts and bring it out at Christmastime to give as a gift. But it became so popular, that they brewed it for everybody.” Good thing: this 9.5% saison is “sort of a dark blonde, light copper color, hoppy and a little bit bitter.” And it’s a good food beer, so bring it to dinner.
De Dolle Stille Nacht
“This might be my favorite one,” says Amidei. “It's a 12% beer, a pale beer again with candy sugar, which is pretty common in Belgium. Sort of a copper color, slightly malty.”
Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus
This is Amidei’s pick to bring to a party: “A perfect winter beer in general.” But be careful: “It was once the strongest beer in the world at 14%.” All that booze serves to cut the beer’s sweetness. “It's very warming. It's rich. It's just a really great beer to drink by the fire, or after skiing, or at a party. It gets people happy. It's 14%.”
Prairie Christmas Bomb!
This Imperial Stout is for sure ready to party. “It has chocolate, and vanilla, and coffee, and chili,” and a bit of “cinnamon, to give it that nod to Christmas spices. It's amazing. It's 13%, so again, it's a great big beer.”
And...A Brand to Skip
“What most people will see are beers from a brewery called Ridgeway in the UK. They do all these really punny Christmas names and these cheeky labels and they always crop up this time of year. It's funny because they're all bad. They are terrible. I think they're designed for people that aren't typically beer buyers, and they're buying them for people that they know are beer drinkers. Like ‘Oh, I need a stocking stuffer for Timmy. So, I'm going to get this cute little beer that says “Santa's Butt” on it.’ Those I would say, personally anyway, to avoid.” Avoid Santa’s Butt. Noted.
