20 Dec The Ultimate Indiana Holiday/Winter Season Beer List
by Mark E. Lasbury for Indiana On Tap
Our son phoned from Florida last week. He was standing in the craft beer aisle of his favorite package store and was asking us about Christmas beers we would recommend for him. He had a party to host and he wanted to do a Christmas beer tasting for his guests.
As he wandered the aisles, Walter and I rattled off some of our favorite Christmas beers that he might be able to find. Later, I decided that if he was asking about them, maybe other people had questions as well. So here’s a list of spiced beers, big, sweet, stouts, and traditional Christmas beers that we love or at least like very much.
Since we’re in Indiana and writing for a largely Indiana audience, we’ll include beers that aren’t available nationally; much of this list will be Hoosier centric. Some beers will appear not to be Christmas specific beer, but they aren’t necessarily Christmas-y, but some are even if they don’t seem so. For example, Stella Artois isn’t craft but it was originally developed as a Christmas drink; the “stella” translates as star, referring to the Christmas star. The “Artois” is the name of a region in northern France. Many will be winter beers, but not specific to Christmas.
These are listed generally by style, with Indiana breweries first, and they’re not in any specific order. If I missed anyone, I apologize and please let me know.
Holiday Collections:
12 Stouts Of Christmas – Field Brewing – Westfield
12 Milkshake Stouts of Christmas – Rochester Mills Beer Co. – Michigan
12 Days of Christmas – The Bruery – California
Winter Warmers/Winter Ales:
S’mores Winter Ale – Fork + Ale House – Carmel
Snowplowed Winter Ale – Mad Anthony Brewing – Fort Wayne
Chrismukkah – Myriad Brewing – Evansville
Snow Bowl Orange Cranberry – Hog Molly Brewing – Columbus
Bowl Season Gingerbread Ale – Hog Molly Brewing – Columbus
Naughty Claus – New Albanian Brewing – New Albany
Ho Ho Holiday Hooch – Teays River Brewing – Lafayette
Snowshed Winter Ale – Four Day Ray – Fishers
Santa’s Winter Ale – St. Benedict’s Brew Works – Ferdinand
Tis the season (& variants) – MashCraft Brewing – Greenwood
Holly Jolly Ale – Guggman Haus Brewing – Indianapolis
Christmas Ale – Great Lakes Brewing – Ohio
Delirium Noel – Delirium – Huyghe – Belgium
Christmas Ale – Brouwerji St. Bernardus – Belgium
Holly Jolly Christmas – Fat Heads Brewery – Ohio
Christmas Ale – Schlafly Beer – St. Louis
Frosted Frog Christmas Ale – Hoppin’ Frog Brewery – Ohio
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year – Anchor Brewing – California
12 Dogs of Christmas – Thirsty Dog Brewing – Ohio
Winter Warmer – Destihl Brewery – Normal, IL
Winter Welcome – Big Thorn Farm & Brewery – Georgetown, IL
IPAs/Pale Ales:
Fancy Dancer – Fuzzyline Brewing – Highland
Nakatomi Party IPA – Myriad Brewing – Evansville
Winter Blues – Terre Haute Brewing – Terre Haute
Yule Log – Crasian Brewing – Brookston
White Xmas – Kopacetic Beer Factory – Monticello
Frosty Haze – Blockhead Beerworks – Valparaiso
Hans Grubeer – Big Lug Canteen – Indianapolis
Hometown Holiday – Guggman Haus Brewing – Indianapolis
Belgians:
Holiday Spiced Dubbel – South Bend Brew Werks – South Bend
Merry Monkey – Victory Brewing – Downingtown, PA
Strong Ales:
Ardelle – People’s Brewing – Lafayette
The Longest Winter – The Guardian Brewing Company – Muncie
Tax Holiday (& variants) – Taxman Brewing – Bargersville
Santa’s Boot – Off Square Brewing – Crown Point
Draper – Ruhe Brewing – Nappanee
Buddy the Christmas “Ale”f – Gas City Brewing – Gas City
Christmas Ale – Malt Brothers Brewing – St. John
Winter Warmer – Scratch Brewing – Ava, IL
Wee Heavies/Scottish Ales:
Muckin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Sun King Brewing – Indianapolis
McNickel – Creek Bottom Brewery – Oldenburg
Christmas Ale – Bell’s Brewery – Michigan (no longer considered craft)
Sours:
Cousin Eddie – Black Dog Brewing – Mooresville
Consolidation Cuvee – Taxman Brewing – Bargersville
Sugar Plum Sour – Yard Goat Artisan Ales – Huntingburg
Dammit Drew – HopLore Brewing – Leesburg
Fancy Holiday Parfait Sour – Our Lady of Perpetual Hops – New Albany
Xmas Pickle – Urban Artifact – Cincinnati
Wintertrip – Braxton Brewing – Covington, KY
Wheats/Wibiers:
Christkindlmarkt – Bier Brewery – Indianapolis – dunkelweizen
Winter Wheat – Switchyard Brewing – Bloomington
Winter Wheat – Nailers Brewing – Whiteland
Winter Wit – Centerpoint Brewing – Indianapolis
White Bier’d – Parlor City Brewing – Bluffton
White Christmas – Sam Adams – Massachusetts
Browns:
French Toast Winter Warlock – Crown Brewing – Crown Point
Electric Reindeer – Sun King Brewing – Indianapolis
Porters/Stouts:
Alpha Klaus – Three Floyds Brewing – Munster
American Winter – Our Lady of Perpetual Hops – New Albany
Wintereisse – Goshen Brewing – Goshen
Poplar St. Porter – Terre Haute Brewing – Terre Haute
Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins – 2Toms Brewing – Fort Wayne
Midnight Stack – Brokerage Brewing – West Lafayette
Sugar Plum Milk Stout – Crasian Brewing – Brookston
Reindeer Fuel – Auburn Brewing – Auburn
Naughty List – Bad Dad Brewery – Fairmount
Peppermint Mocha – Dot & Line Brewing – Fort Wayne
Carrot Cake – Junk Ditch Brewing – Fort Wayne
BBA Mail Order Bride – Bare Hands Brewery – Granger
Chocolate Mint Porter – Beech Bank Brewing – Indianapolis
Nutella Hot Chocolate Beard Tax – Black Acre Brewing – Indianapolis
Grandma’s Finest – Blind Owl Brewery – Indianapolis
Christmas Slow Train – Garfield Brewery – Indianapolis
Paul dresser Holiday Porter – Wabash Brewing – Indianapolis
Arctic Nomad – Sun King Brewing Small Batch Kokomo – Kokomo
Yule Tidings – Lafayette Brewing – Lafayette
Christmas Bomb! – Prairie Artisan Ales – Oklahoma
Black Chocolate Stout – Brooklyn Brewery – Brooklyn, NY
Birch Wood Switch – The Seymour Brewing Company – Seymour
Others:
Hoarfrost – Aftermath Cidery – Valparaiso – traditional cider
Care Bear Cheer – Windmill Brewing – Dyer – winter lager
Stella Artois – a pilsner
Fistmas – Revolution Brewing – Chicago – red ale
Three Hos – Saucy Brew Works – Ohio – spiced red ale
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