4 Essential Christmas Beers

American Craft Beer|December 19th, 2023|

The Winter Holidays are ON! And with Santa arriving soon you’re gonna need the right beer.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop

One of the nation’s most accomplished craft brewers, Sierra Nevada Brewing has a winter offering that New Belgium founder, Kim Jordon, claims is her go-to holiday beer, and we couldn’t agree with her more.

First brewed in 1981, Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop Ale is a 6.8% ABV India Pale Ale, one of a very few, holiday beers that’s actually an IPA. And because it’s a fresh-hop India Pale Ale it’s subtly different every year, which is always festive and fun.

21^st Amendment Fireside Chat Winter Ale

San Francisco, CA-based 21^st Amendment is returning what many consider to be the perfect winter beer. 21st Amendment’s Fireside Chat is a 7.9% English-style Strong Ale with a rich, dark color and bold flavor that’s perfect as the weather cools

“Fireside Chat has a wonderful warming amber color, bright toffee foam head, soft spice profile, and a rich chocolate layer on the finish that’s quite elegant,” said Shaun O’Sullivan, Co-Founder and Brewmaster at 21st Amendment Brewery. We made some slight tweaks to the recipe in 2022 that I think our fans will enjoy.”

Fireside Chat is rolling out now and will be available through December in all 34 states where 21st Amendment distributes. Get it while supplies last, because like Santa, this beer only come around once a year.

Firestone Cinnamon Dolce Nitro Stout

Firestone Walker Brewing has returned uber-unique winter seasonal, which was originally released in 2021 that pairs perfectly with the winter holidays. Toned by dark-roasted specialty malts with hints of caramel and chocolate, Firestone Cinnamon Dolce Nitro Stout is a 6% ABV holiday release which was brewed with Saigon cinnamon sticks and premium Madagascar vanilla beans, then infused with nitrogen for a super-creamy mouthfeel.

“Vanilla is a flavor amplifier, and the key is to use it in balance to enhance everything else that is going on in the beer,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “Adding a bit of cinnamon makes for a really nice combination that provides a balancing point with the chocolaty character of the stout.”

“Cinnamon Dolce was a bit of an instant classic for us,” Brynildson added. You get a true nitro experience straight out of the can. It was just a matter of time before we brought it back.”

Shiner Holiday Cheer

Holiday beers can come in all shapes and sizes and the Spoetzl Brewery’s (home to the entire Shiner family of beers) super-interesting winter offering that’s as unusual as it is dependable.

Crafted with pecans and peaches whose flavors are enhanced through Krausening, a traditional German brewing technique for carbonating beer before, during, and after fermentation, Shiner Holiday Cheer is a dark and malty 5.4% ABV Dunkelweizen (Dark Wheat Ale) that takes an old world tradition in a truly Texas direction.

The Spoetzl Brewery was founded in Shiner, Texas (population 2,069), in 1909, by Czech and German immigrants brewing beer with old-world traditions and recipes for Central Texas. Since then, the brewery has grown to be one of the largest independent craft brewers in the country and its holiday beer is a classic. To this day, every drop of the award-winning beer is brewed right in Shiner, TX, where it all started 113 years ago.

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Want more beer suggestions?

HOLIDAY SEASONALS AND WINTER PORTERS