The Winter Brews

Volume I, Number 11- February 2, 2006

Dear Readers,

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, and we now know despite the mild temperatures and lack of snow (at least here in the Northeast) we’re in for six more weeks of winter. Rather than yearning for the warmth of the spring, why not celebrate the joys of winter for the next month and a half by enjoying those beers that celebrate the time of year? In this issue, I’ll share a few favorite seasonals that are only available in winter… beers so good that you may actually look forward to frigid wind chills and shoveling snow, at least while supplies of these winter seasonals last!

Cheers!

- Keith

What Makes a Winter Seasonal?

Why are some beers only brewed in winter? Well, there are various reasons. Some so-called “Winter Warmers” are higher in alcohol than your average beer, making them just right for warming your insides when it’s cold outside. Others use “winter spices” such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg that might remind you of gingerbread or mulled cider. These beers have both the taste and aroma that one associates with winter. Still others are simply a beer that the brewer chooses to brew for a very short time each year, possibly due to the availability of certain ingredients (a harvest of a particular hop variety, for instance), or because he or she just feels this beer is the perfect beverage on a snowy, frigid day. Whatever the reason, just be happy that your favorite beer might just be in season.

A Harvest of Hops

For those beer drinkers who truly love hops, their bitterness, earthiness and dryness that contrast the sweet malted barely, their style of choice is typically an IPA (India Pale Ale) or some variation on that theme (APA – American Pale Ale, dIPA – Double India Pale Ale). The very definition of these beers is that they are highly hopped versions of the classic British Pale Ale. And American brewers keep pushing the limits of hops in such beers. Names such as “Hop Hog”, “Hop Monster” and “Hop Wallop” reflect American brewers’ obsession with ever increasing hops in their IPA’s.

But IPA’s aren’t the only beers where hops can dominate. Jim Koch, founder of Samuel Adams, has been touting the wonders of Hallertau hops in recent commercials and print ads. But his brewers took them to a whole new level in the limited release Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner Harvest 2005. There is a cloudy haze to this beer, like one might expect from a hefeweizen. But this haze isn’t from yeast… it’s from the massive amount of hop resins in this brew.

I never appreciated Hallertau hops until recently when I had a chance to brew my first homebrew with whole hop flowers. Their aroma is deceiving, with somewhat subtle earthy and grassy notes. But when it comes to the taste, these hops are truly spicy, with a dominant peppery finish. There are noticeable tannins here too, like the bitterness of a dark-brewed tea.

Yet even with such strong spiciness and bitterness, this beer is surprisingly drinkable. It is a little thick in your mouth (probably from all those the oily hop resins), and the alcohol content is amazingly high for a pilsner at 8.8%, so I’d suggest splitting the tall 24 oz bottle with a friend. And the hops are a little overpowering at first. But as you drink, the initial bitterness will diminish, and you’ll truly come to taste the joy of hops in your glass. This one is a limited release, so grab it while you can.

Warming Winter Ale

Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, has put out a new seasonal winter brew this year in addition to his already delicious Black Chocolate Stout. This one is called Brooklyn Winter Ale.

This brew pours a deep dark reddish brown, a cola color, with a thin tan head. You can smell the roasted notes and the warm holiday spices about to come your way. The taste is just amazing... the wonderful spices of gingerbread and mulled cider meets the warm caramel & roasted character of a porter. Ah, this is everything I could want out of a spiced winter beer. And while some consider spiced beer to be a novelty, somehow the richer malts make the spice more palatable to me. I could really enjoy this as a session beer all night long, never tiring of it (although with its high ABV of 7.2%, my evening might not last too long!)

My only complaint is that I wish I could get a six-pack of this one! Unfortunately, Brooklyn Winter Ale is only available in limited release on-tap and as part of a holiday mixed twelve pack with other Brooklyn Brewery beers (and while the other Brooklyn beers are great, I’d like to be able to have more than just two of the Winter Ale). So please, Brooklyn Brewery, release this one as in its own six-pack next year to make my Christmas wish come true!

Cold Mountain Brew

And no, I’m not talking about Coors Light! Bert Grant out of Yakima, Washington brews a great winter seasonal called Deep Powder Winter Ale.

The ale poured a clear deep reddish brown, with a decent off-white head. The aroma was just amazing... scents of sweet caramel, toasted nuts, even a little coffee and cocoa aroma in there. The taste was not nearly as sweet as the aroma: rich but not too sweet malt, followed by a combination of dark roasted coffee, burnt sugar, a hint of unsweetened chocolate and a full presence of both bitter and spicy hops which carries through the finish. Potent dark bitter flavors, though not so bitter as to not be enjoyable. In my perfect winter ale, there would be a little more sweetness up front to balance the bitter, with a taste to match the aroma of this one. Still, a very enjoyable seasonal that I'll definitely pick up again.

The Joy of Porters

While all the other seasonals I mention here are great, a Porter is the perfect winter beer for me. While Porters are brewed all year long, I particularly associate this dark beer with winter. Rather than elaborate here, please read the article I wrote on New Jersey Porters that appeared in the following publication:

The Gotham Imbiber (January/February issue):

http://www.cask-ale.co.uk/us/gotham17.pdf

Or find the article on our website here.

Beer Quote

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

-Henny Youngman

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