Winter is here. And so is my favorite winter beer.
Nobody knows the seasons better than Sierra Nevada. And their continually changing variety packs are proof. This year’s pack brings back familiar faces to keep your face flushed and feeling warm during these dreary doldrum winter days.
Winter Warmer Lager – 6.7%
“The cold nights are coming and you couldn’t care less-not with a Winter Warmer in your hand. Rich and malty with a touch of sweetness, this beer lives up to its name. Crack open a Winter Warmer and tell the weather to show you what it’s got.”
Upfront, it has rich toasted, bready malts with a nutty and caramel sweet flavor. It’s contrasted by a candy like orange citrus and spicy hop flavors. It’s the perfect holiday desert, candied fruits and caramel with a little spice.
‘The cold and coal winter clouds come round
and the night starts much too young
despair in the air and no solace to be found
there’s a fire somewhere – like in a dickens novel
a flame flicker dance and warmth from a bottle
friends and hope like stars in the sky
small lights in the dead sea up high.’
Pale Ale – 5.6%
“Pale Ale began as a home brewer’s dream, grew into an icon, and inspired countless brewers to follow a passion of their own. Its unique piney and grapefruit aromas from the use of whole-cone American hops have fascinated beer drinkers for decades and made this beer a classic, yet it remains new, complex and surprising to thousands of beer drinkers every day. It is—as it always has been—all natural, bottle conditioned and refreshingly bold.”
What more can be said about the legendary IPA? Without its piney bitterness, we wouldn’t be sitting here in the golden age of good beer.
‘Remember when axl rose was stumbling through winter and snow
in the song I can’t remember which one though
but he was falling about
Well anyway that’s how
I picture humanity now stumbling about
and looking for the lost garden and I picture it
Just like this
like green grass and rivers and pine
aromas of earthy hops and a warm place like home
A place to sleep
after a long winter week a bitter trek so long
finally reaching a warm spring song.’
Holiday Haze IPA – 6.5%
“As the holiday season ramps up, we all get busy, so we’re bringing you this all-new IPA as a reminder to slow down and appreciate this special time. Heavy with intense fruit-forward hop flavor, mild bitterness and a smooth finish, this is the perfect beer for the lead-up to the holidays. Let’s all pause, relax, and snap out of that holiday haze.”
A nice blend of pineapple tropical fruit flavor and Christmas tree piney hops. There’s also notes of lemon and grapefruit that add to the juiciness. In a winter season dominated by stouts, it’s a welcomed hoppy changeup.
Holiday Haze – A poem by Jacob Terranova shamefully lifted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and revised to reflect the good holiday attributes of beer.
‘I heard the beers poured on Christmas Day
The old, familiar glasses sway,
Full of wild hops and malts so sweet
These holiday words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-beer to men!
And thought how, as the night had come,
The cries of all drunken ones
Had sung along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-beer to men!
Till swaying, stumbling on its way,
The world revolved from closing time to day,
A slurred word, a whispered chime,
A chant of drunken cries
Of peace on earth, good-beer to men!’
Coffee Stout – 6.2%
“A cup of joe and a bold beer are both cold-weather companions, so we blended them for the ultimate warmer. Our Coffee Stout is a fusion of dark roasted malts and rich, cold-brewed coffee for layers of bittersweet, fruity, dark chocolate and caramel-like flavors.”
Oh man. The thing about coffee stouts is that they are the perfect argument for why beer should be a socially acceptable breakfast drink. This stout is full of dark roast flavor, with bitter coffee notes and a hint of chocolatey cocoa sweetness.
‘we want
bacon eggs and coffee stouts
we want
beer for breakfast
now.’