Beer Style: Winter Beers
Holiday Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains) OG = 1.063 FG = 1.015 IBU = 35 SRM = 10 ABV = 6.6% Ingredients: 12 oz. (0.34 kg) British crystal malt (55° L) 1
Sleepy Bear Wassail
A spiced Christmas punch of sorts.
1905 Holiday Ale
This is a re-creation of a 1905 Holiday Ale brewed by Hartmann, later Home Brewing Co., in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Sleigh Fuel
This recipe by Dean Priebe placed Best of Show, Novembeerfest 2007 (133 entries). An English winter warmer base with vanilla, orange, and cinnamon added.
Bad Santa
This recipe spiced winter ale by John Zelazny placed Best of Show, 2010 New York State Open (282 entries).
Holiday Prowler
Gordon Strong is President of the Beer Judge Certification Program. This recipe won Best of Show, Ohio State Fair 1997, out of 90 entries.
Winter Seasonal Beers
Learn the secrets to brewing a wintry, warming, holiday beer and check out five best of show winning recipes.
Winter Warmer: Tips from the Pros
Pro brewer Matt “Handtruck” Thrall of Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, Colorado, shares some advice for brewing a winter warmer.
Redhook Ale Brewery’s Winterhook clone
This is a clone of one of the Winterhook Dark Ale batches, but according to their website Winterhook is “Crafted with an evolving mix of malts and hops, each yearly edition of Winterhook is one-of-a-kind.” Check out Redhook’s website for the latest rendition of this beer!
Summit Brewing Co.’s Winter Ale clone
First brewed in 1987, this winter warmer exhibits bready, toasted malt flavors with hints of coffee, caramel, black cherry, cocoa, and a dash of hop spice.
Pyramid Snow Cap Ale clone
This full-bodied winter warmer is brewed in the spirit of British winter ales. Crafted with a flurry of roasted chocolate and caramel malts, and generously hopped, it delivers a smooth finish that makes this beer the perfect cold weather companion. This clone recipe first ran in the July 1998 issue and has been tweaked several times through the years.
Full Sail Brewing Co.’s Wassail clone
This deep mahogany winter warmer is a 13-time gold medal winner. It is available from October through December each year.
