Cheers to the holidays and the new year!
To get into the Christmas spirit, this pick 6 is filled with holiday ales and winter warmers.
I’m sure glad Christmas only comes once a year, cause I don’t know if I can stomach all the sweetness that these beers offer.
Pecatonica Beer Co. – Nightfall – 5.9% – Lager
Oh boy. This is…a weird one. It tastes like a cross between a sour and a dark lager. And I don’t know if that works. Maybe it’s past its shelf-life date? I hope so. Otherwise, it has this weird, sweet, but almost, sour, vinegary kick. It mellows out and ends with a roasted malt flavor. Huh.
‘There are good
wild magic nights
leave you feeling heavenly embraced
then there are those other nights
leave you nothing except
howling sick with a bitter
after taste.’
Shiner – Holiday Cheer – 5.4% – Dunkelweizen
Here’s what Shiner says about their holiday staple. “This Old-World Dunkelweizen is brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans – perfect for cracking open in front of a crackling fire.”
As far as holiday beers go, it’s not bad. But it is sweet to the point where I don’t think I could have more than one. The peach flavor is really dominant. Beyond that, there are notes of some nuttiness and spice, which pair great with the heavy fruit peach flavor/sweetness.
‘Cheeks rosy red
like a newly hung stocking
through snowy streets we go
swaying, rocking
Is it the holiday spirit,
full of cheer?
Maybe just our veins
warm with beer.’
WarPigs Brewpub – Lazurite – 6.8% – IPA
I was excited for this one. While it doesn’t exactly scream Christmas, I needed something a bit more bitter to break up the super sweet holiday beers here.
As the flagship of WarPigs, Lazurite is a “bright, citrusy and full-bodied American IPA with just enough malt to balance the profound bitterness.”
It’s a great IPA. I noticed lots of fruit flavor, both tropical and zesty citrus. It’s definitely a juicy IPA, and like they said, has the perfect amount of caramel sweet malts to round it out into an overall excellent IPA.
‘As the ball drops
fireworks champagne
corks pop, clock
strikes
midnight
my new year’s resolution
drink more beers like
Lazurite.’
Great Lakes – Christmas Ale – 7.5% – Winter Warmer
Great Lakes describes the flavor as “a Yuletide’s worth of holiday spices and sweet honey to keep you a-wassailing all season long.”
And well, it is full of flavor. It’s noticeably spiced, with standout hints of cinnamon and clove. It’s also incredibly sweet, likely due to the honey and malts. It’s kind of like if beer and eggnog had a baby.
‘Presents under tree
caroling crescendo
hot cocoa
husband kisses wife
underneath mistletoe
it’s a wonderful life.’
Revolution – Fistmas Ale – 6.5% – Red Ale
Lazurite was definitely on top so far, but as this is a holiday pick sixer, I’m going to have to give the top honors to Revolution. Their Fistmas ale is able to do what a lot of holiday beers can’t. It captures the taste of the holiday season, without being too overbearing. The result is an incredibly enjoyable red ale.
Revolution describes Fistmas as an ale “steeped with ginger root and orange peel, resulting in a beer with aromas of fresh baked bread, caramel, and stone fruits.
It’s a holiday beer worth having. It’s not unbearably sweet, but has the natural, toasted, fresh baked bread sweetness from the malts. On top of that, you’ll get some notes of citrus, spice and a much welcomed hoppy finish.
‘I love the
calm quiet
christmas brings
followed by the terrific mad
rush as the
new year rings.’
Bell’s – Arabicadabra – 5.5% – Milk Stout
I wanted to try their Christmas Scotch Ale, but alas, it wasn’t available. So the stout will suffice. Bell’s describes the milk stout as being “brewed with a cold coffee extract made at the brewery using a combination of fair trade, organic Nicaraguan coffee beans and Sumatra coffee beans. Lactose is also used for creaminess.”
It works. The Arabicadabra is filled with great roasted coffee and toasted malt flavor. The lactose helps give the beer a smooth, fresh cream taste, that pairs well with the milk chocolate notes.
(At this point, between the beers and a head cold, I was unable to write any legible poems. So I’ll leave you with a holiday song from a man who is x1000 times better at words than I’ll ever be – Mr. Tom Petty. Merry Christmas!)
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