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(Courtesy Tröegs Independent Brewing)
For many the Winter Holiday celebrations have already begun and with them comes the beers of the season. So you’ll be needing just the right holiday ales for all those parties that you’ll be hitting…
And we’ve a number of new seasonal offerings guaranteed to keep your outings “naughty and nice.”
Tröegs Mad Elf Ale | Tröegs Independent Craft Brewery. (Hershey, PA)
Renowned throughout the mid-Atlantic as much for its unique flavor, as for its enormous 11% ABV kick, Tröegs Mad Elf Ale is a brilliant Belgian-style holiday seasonal.
The essence of this legendary holiday ale, along with its ruby red glow, is born from five varieties of tree-ripened cherries. Local wildflower honey sweetens the celebration, and a spicy Belgian yeast adds subtle notes of cinnamon, clove and allspice.
(Courtesy Tröegs Independent Brewing)
Mad Elf Grand Cru
Tröegs Mad Elf Ale is a holiday tradition on the East Coast but the Hershey, PA-based brewery also released an uber-limited variation that takes the beloved cherry-fueled Belgian-Style Dark Ale in a tarter direction.
Adding Balaton cherries and the tartness that comes with them to a mix that already includes Bing, Lambert, Van and Royal varieties, Tröegs Mad Elf Grand Cru is a deep burgundy 11% ABV winter limited release that begs to be shared.
“Putting this beer in cork and cage bottles helps give it that extra special touch,” says Tröegs co-founding brother Chris Trogner. “It also means they’re great at keeping oxygen out. Since Grand Cru is a beer, many people like to age, that’s a big plus.”
(Courtesy Great Lakes Brewing)
Great Lakes Christmas Ale | Great Lakes Brewing Co. (Cleveland, OH)
Sometimes unfairly overlooked by a craft beer audience increasing enraptured by the shiny and the new, Great Lakes brews a spectacular holiday beer.
A 6-time World Beer Championship winner Great Lakes Christmas Ale is a robust 7.5% Winter Warmer that’s brewed with a Yuletide’s worth of fresh honey, tangy cinnamon, and complex ginger flavors.
Ninkasi Sleigh’r Winter Ale| Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene, OR)
Those of you who read us regularly (and we can’t imagine why you wouldn’t) know that we’re totally in the tank for Ninkasi Brewing – and fans of their annual winter seasonal as well.
(Courtesy Ninkasi Brewing)
Taking a stylistic path less travelled, Ninkasi’s Sleigh’r is a dark and dusky 7.2% ABV Doüble Alt Ale, malty, rich and perfect to keep the winter’s winds at bay. his is not your grandma’s winter brew – it’s an audacious embrace of winter’s chill, crafted for those who relish the cold.
Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA | Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, CA / Mills River, NC)
Craft beer icons like New Belgium founder Kim Jordon, claim that this late fall/early-winter release is her go-to holiday beer – and we couldn’t agree with her more.
First brewed in 1981, Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA is one of a very few, hop-forward holiday beers – and because it’s a fresh-hop – it’s subtly different every year!
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HOLIDAY SEASONALS AND WINTER PORTERS
