Thanksgiving is almost here. And we’ve more new releases that pair smartly with the weekend drinking and the holidays.
Christmas Cookie Timed (Charlotte, NC) – On November 20 Sycamore Brewing released its highly anticipated annual winter holiday offering, this time with a less provocative and much tamer package design. The 2019 cans featured reindeer in various sexual positions and after an anonymous tip, the North Carolina ABC forced the brewery to pull the cans from retail shelves.
Brewed with actual sugar cookies added to the mash, Sycamore Christmas Cookie Winter Ale 2020 is a 7.5% ABV Blonde Ale with a caramel-y malt backbone and cheerful notes of sugar cookie dough, warm winter spices, and honey. And for the first time ever, Sycamore is also releasing all-new Barrel-Aged Christmas Cookie. This variation was made using a batch of 2019 Christmas Cookie which was matured for 12 months in bourbon barrels.
Festive (Bend, OR) – Bend Brewing has returned a popular winter season that’s more than the predictable malt-forward offering. Brewed in collaboration with Bend based ski and snowboard company, SnoPlanks, Bend Sno’d In Winter IPA is a 6.5% British-Style Pale Ale with a sturdy malt-backbone and festive character.
Pairs Well With Blizzards (Hershey, PA) – Tröegs Brewing is returning a popular winter seasonal that’s a reminder that the end of the Hop Cycle is only the beginning. Brewed with a storm of Centennial, Chinook and El Dorado hops as well as with unmalted white wheat, Tröegs Blizzard of Hops is a 6.4% ABV Winter IPA and a toast to hop growers around the world for another successful harvest.
A Pilsner That Matters (White Plains, NY) – Paulaner USA, is returning a classic, (now in 16.9oz cans) with a recipe that the brewery has been refining since the mid-1800’s. Crisp, clean, and as nuanced as it is true to tradition, Paulaner Pils is a 4.9% ABV Bavarian Pilsner with bright, floral hop aromatics and a brisk dry finish.