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(Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve 2019)
It can be difficult keeping up with all the great winter beers at this time of year. But here are some terrific offerings that should pair well with almost every festivity.
Santa’s Reserve 2019 (Newport, OR) – Christmas is almost here and Rogue’s brew crew crafted up something unusual for it…. a holiday ale with maple-flavored mushrooms! Candy cup mushrooms, one of the only sweet mushroom varieties, are commonly used in breads, cakes and now beer (who knew?). Pumped with big maple aromatics (thanks to those mushrooms), Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve 2019 is an 8.1% ABV Belgian Strong Ale that’s brewed this year with candi sugars and, yes, mushrooms.
Santa’s Nightcap (Golden, CO) – Holidaily Brewing, is a dedicated gluten-free brewery. All of Holidaily’s beers are certified gluten free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization including this year’s Christmas release. Toned using Golden Moon Distillery bourbon oak spirals, Holidaily Santa’s Nightcap is a 10.8% ABV Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout that’s a seasonal after-dinner nightcap that EVERYBODY can enjoy.
Visions of Sugar Plums I (Boulder, Colorado) – Upslope Brewing is celebrating the holidays with a special Lee Hill Series Volume 22 release which is absolutely one of the most interesting beers of the season. Matured in oak casks with the brewery’s in-house sour culture for one year before being racked onto more than 1,000 pounds of Colorado-grown red plums and re-fermented an additional two months, Upslope Wild Christmas Ale with Colorado Plums is a 9.1% ABV Wild Ale with a juicy plum flavor and a pleasantly tart finish.
Visions Of Sugar Plums II (Chico, CA/ Mills River, NC) – Sierra Nevada is renowned for its annual holiday offering, Celebration Fresh Hop IPA, but they’ve also a Trip in the Woods Barrel-aged Series release that’s primed for the season. Rich and boozy, with a subtle kiss of spice, Sierra Nevada Vision Of Sugar Plums is a 10.2% ABV blend of Dubbel, Quad and Bigfoot Barleywine ales, aged in red wine, brandy and bourbon casks.
