Holiday Ale

Holiday ale's are usually described as 'big' and 'rich' and usually pack a lot more flavor than their summertime counterparts. These beers are often higher in Alcohol by Volume (ABV) than other special beers and it's been my experience that they are darker and sweeter in nature. Supposedly the holiday beer tradition goes back to medieval times when monks were the primary brewers and strong spicy ales were brewed to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Often times these beers have a subtle but nice spice bouquet added to the recipe blending nicely to the malty/hoppy flavor of the brew.

Brrr is the first winter ale from Widmer in four years and is amber in color with a herby aroma. Brrr packs in a 7.2% ABV which makes it the strongest beer in Widmer's arsenal. It's a nice beer although on the sweet side which is an odd thing for me to say considering I prefer more sweet beers like ambers. It has a nice hoppy aroma and taste that plays well against the dark malty undertones. I bought a 12 ounce bottle of the Brrr at Belmont Station and wonder how it taste at their Gausthaus .I would drink this beer again but wouldn't run through traffic for one.

Ø come, all ye faithful...

In the north of the country of Norway, by this time of the year, the sun makes an appearance for approximately four hours a day. It's not surprising, then, to find that Norwegians place a bit of attention on distracting themselves with wintertime holidays and seasonally appropriate libations, with the Norwegian brewery Nøgne Ø involved in making (at least) two holiday-themed beers. Beating back the potential doldrums of a long, dark winter, along with it the doldrums of tiresome, schmaltzy Christmas brews, they not only produce a Winter Ale ("God Jul") but also this one, the Peculiar Yule ("Underlig Jul"), a distinctively Norwegian take on the theme of winter warmers.

Gløgg, the Nordic take on mulled wine, is a comforting, bone-warming concoction spiked with cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, citrus, and sometimes even almonds and raisins. The Nogne folks have captured this spirit in a beer meant to be enjoyed with holiday cookies, like fattigmann and goro,  by fusing the above spice bill with a 6.5% dark ale. It crackles with strangeness, as unlike most holiday ales, the hops are present enough to provide a bitterness that bounces off the spices without allowing for the pervasive sticky sweetness brewers sometimes feel the need to allow, as if the cookies had already been blended into the glass. Not here, an adult beverage worthy of being enjoyed with or without the accompaniment of sweets, perfectly suited to fend off the polar night. Dry, vinuous, and peculiarly pleasant.