I’ve only recently become acquainted with the concept of winter beers. Until this point, enjoying a beer meant coming home from a long day and popping open a cold one. Okay, I’ve never actually said the phrase “popping open a cold one” until now, but I think you get my point. Beer was a refreshing treat I gave myself after a hot day of working in the sun (or sitting at my desk all day to be more accurate).

I digress. When I heard about winter beer, I could not wrap my head around what this might taste like. Would it be chilly and arctic like a winter blizzard? Would it taste like gingerbread? I really had no idea, so I did what any good new beer drinker would do and took myself down to my local liquor store, Goebel Liquor, to find out. The staff gave me a crash course in what it means to be a winter beer (they are usually more flavorful, fuller-bodied and deeper in color than other beers and available from November through February only) and then they put together an assorted six-pack for me to try.

The outcome:

Boulevard’s Nutcracker Ale (5.9% alcohol by volume): One sip and I was instantly in love. According to the Boulevard website, this beer is “deep amber in color with hints of molasses balanced by the “spiciness” of freshly harvest Chinook hops.” I don’t know about all that, but I do know that it was delicious and tasted like a liquid dessert. With the cooler weather on its way, I will be stocking up on this beer to keep me warm all winter long. Try it with some dark chocolate like I did, and your taste buds will be forever grateful.

I also liked:

Great Divide’s Hiberation Ale (8.1% alcohol by volume)
Big Sky’s Powder Hound (6.2% alcohol by volume)
Sam Adams’ Winter Lager (5.8% alcohol by volume)
New Belgium’s 2 Below (6.6% alcohol by volume)

It wasn’t all rainbows, butterflies and good beer, though. One sip of Winter Bourbon Cask Ale by Anheuser-Busch (6% alcohol by volume) and I was done. The taste of bourbon was overwhelming to my beginner’s palate, and I did not like this one at all.

While I wasn’t a fan of all the winter beers I tried, the Nutcracker Ale was enough to sell me on the idea of a warm beer for a cold night. In fact, I’m popping open a warm one right now.

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