Sign o' the Times

Merry Midvinterblot! -- I'll Drink To That

Although I'm not a fan of Christmas (I prefer a nice, simple Midvinterblot, involving human and animal sacrifices, feasting and drunkenness, myself), I have to say that the one aspect of the annoying Christmas season that I do enjoy is the abundance of Christmas and winter beers available at this time. Drinking them puts me in a good mood, helps me cope with the cold, the darkness and the awful Christmas music and -- most important -- supplies me with the requisite drunkenness necessary for any decent Midvinterblot observance.

IMNSHO, a good Christmas or winter beer should be strong (at least 8%), malty and with plenty of seasonal spice, such as ginger, orange peel and anise. Although I haven't had one in a while, I think the quintessential Christmas/winter beer may be Affligem Noel, which (if memory serves me) fits this description pretty accurately.

So far this season, my partner, Dr. Rodenbach, and I have consumed a record 28 beers that qualify as Christmas/winter beers. Here's the complete list, sorted alphabetically by brewery:

Abita	Christmas Ale (6.13%)
Achilles	Serafijn Christmas Angel (8%)
Anchor	Christmas Ale (5.5%?)
Brasserie de la Senne	Equinox Winter Beer (8.5%)
Breckenridge	Christmas Ale (7.4%)
Brooklyn	Winter Ale (6%)
Capital	Winter Skal (5.4%)
Great Divide	Hibernation (8.1%)
Great Lakes	Christmas Ale (7.5%)
Jolly Pumpkin	Noel de Calabaza (9%)
La Choulette	Noel (Biere de garde) (7%)
Left Hand	Snow Bound Winter Ale (7.6%)
Mendocino	Winter Seasonal IPA (7.5%)
Nogne O (Norway)	Winter Ale (8.5%)
Prairie Rock	Christmas Ale (Draft) (7.5%)
Pyramid	Snow Cap Ale (7%)
Ridgeway	Criminally Bad Elf (10.5%)
Samuel Adams	Cranberry Lambic (5.9%)
Samuel Adams	Holiday Porter (5.8%)
Samuel Adams	Old Fezziwig (5.9%)
Samuel Adams	Winter Lager (5.8%)
Samuel Smith's	Winter Welcome (6%)
Sierra Nevada	Celebration Ale (2007) (6.8%)
St. Bernardus	Christmas Ale (10%)
St. Sylvester	Flanders Winter Ale (8.5%)
Steven's Point Brewing	St. Benedict's Winter Ale (??%)
Summit	Winter Ale (5.9%)
Unibroue	Trader Joe's Vintage Ale (9%)

Considering the wide diversity of beer strengths, styles and flavors on this list, it would appear that, at least as far as the breweries, themselves, are concerned, a beer qualifies as a Christmas/winter beer if the brewery puts either one of those words on the label. Therefore, a Christmas/winter beer can be strong (St. Bernardus or Jolly Pumpkin), not so strong (Abita, Breckenridge and the Samuel Adams group), spicy (Capital and Great Lakes -- both heavy on the ginger) or relatively plain (Pyramid). It can even be a very un-traditional imperial IPA (Mendocino Winter Seasonal IPA).

Although I'd say that none of the above beers are bad and all of them are at least better-than-average, I found only a few exceptional beers in this year's group, which are (in no special order):

Anchor Christmas Ale

The original and, many would say, the best of all Christmas/winter ales. Anchor's been brewing a different Christmas beer, with a different tree on the label, every year since 1975. You can view them here.

Great Divide Hibernation
New for me this year. A distinctive coffee flavor and a pleasant 8% alcohol level make this beer great for hibernating, indeed.

Capital Winter Skal
Although Dr. Rodenbach and I are currently boycotting the state of Wisconsin, due to their recent vote to prohibit same sex marriage, we, never-the-less, purchased this product. As I mentioned above, heavy on the ginger.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale
From Cleveland and also heavy on the ginger.

Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza
From the always interesting Jolly Pumpkin Brewery in Dexter, Michigan. Dry, fruity and tart.

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
My vote for the best of the bunch this year. An outstanding Belgian ale, even for Belgium's already high standard. Very effervescent, with an almost champagne-like quality and a hint of cocoa. The Santa's cap makes the rather feminine-looking monk on the label look even gayer.

Unibroue/Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2007
This is the third year that Dr. Rodenbach and I have purchased this outstanding ale at a nearby Trader Joe's. It's actually contract brewed for them by Unibroue in Quebec. At $4.99 for a 750 ml. bottle, it's quite a deal. We usually buy two cases and let one age for several months.

Cheers and Merry Midvinterblot!