My Favorite Christmas Beers

Old Fezziwig Ale is possibly my favorite Christmas beer, although like the great loves of my life, only available for a very short time. Old Fezziwig Ale can only be found in the Winter Classics Variety pack (usually two bottles each pack), so you can’t stock up on multiple 12 packs, if you are a fan.

It is a 5.9% ABV brown spiced ale, exploding with warming aromas of ginger, orange, and cinnamon. The character of the malt evinces caramel, coffee, and chocolate; this spice beer is one everybody should buy.

Brewer: Big Sky Brewing
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

I decided to try this beer because I am a huge fan of another Big Sky offering, Moose Drool. While the name is nauseating, Moose Drool will make you feel like you are in heaven (or hell depending on how many you drink). Enter Biere de Noel. This beer is offered in very limited quantities and is aged in oak.

Biere de Noel is 9.5 ABV, so you better be careful how much in the Christmas spirit you are while drinking it, but it will provide you with glorious hints of spice and fig.

Brewer: Southern Tier Brewing
Style: Imperial Pilsner

In common European folklore, Krampus was a horned beast, who was half goat, half demon, who punished the naughty children by stealing them or hitting them with sticks. Unlike it’s movie namesake, which singlehandedly attempted to ruin the Christmas movie genre forever and was a total bomb, Krampus the beer is the bomb diggity.

Krampus the beer (not the really bad, borderline comedic horror movie or the half goat, half demon that steals naughty children on Christmas) is a 9% ABV Helles Lager, which is finished with yeast. It is a mix of dark malts and aromatic hops, which merge to create a fiendish brew. Try it, you’ll thank me. Or curse me.

Brewer: Troegs Brewing
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

First, let me say that I love cherries. Fresh cherries, cherry pie, cherry ice cream, cherry Sazerac, the other cherry pie…Mad Elf is a ruby red Belgian style ale which clocks in at 11% ABV. It contains notes of cherries, cinnamon, and chocolate.

Made with spicy Belgian yeast and four different types of cherries; those types of cherries are Bing, Lambert, Van, and Royal Ann. This is one of my favorite beers.

Brewer: Samuel Adams
Style: Witbier/ White Ale

Ok, I know major beer afficianados may never read me again for listing Sam Adams twice. White Christmas though has always been a back-up plan for me when I couldn’t get my hands on Old Fezziwig Ale.

White Christmas is blended with holiday spices such as cinnamon, orange peel, and nutmeg. It has an ABV of a reasonable 5.8%, so you can drink a few without worrying about falling off the chair during Christmas dinner.