'Tis The Season For The Best Christmas Beers

08 Dec ‘Tis The Season For The Best Christmas Beers

Posted at 18:35h in 450 North Brewing, Bloomington Brewing Co., Flat 12 Bierwerks, Musings, New Albanian, Powerhouse Brewing, Quaff-on-brewing, Scarlet Lane Brewing Co, Three Floyds Brewing Co, Triton Brewing Co., Uncategorized by Justin Knepp 2 Comments

By Cory Huffman for Indiana On Tap

Good lord! It’s that time of year again. Christmas is upon us. And Hanukah. And Diwali. Oh, and Kwanzaa. Wait, and Ramadan. Duh, Three Kings Day. Right, and of course the Chinese New Year.

Nevertheless, you get the point. The Holidays have arrived.

As I grow older, Christmas (my holiday) has turned from the excitement of presents (when I was a youth) to the gathering of loved ones. I look forward to seeing family members, who time and other commitments keep me from seeing as often as I’d like. It’s a nice break from the mundane reality of jobs and the everyday hassle of living in fast forward. This is the excuse we all seek in order to slow down, open a beer, and enjoy conversation. Luckily, our Hoosier breweries share in this thinking because there are a ton of wonderful holiday brews out there to grease those conversations into memories worth holding on to.

Here are some holiday brews to help get you into the (insert holiday) spirit!

New Albanian Brewing Company – Naughty Claus: Naughty Claus is a spiced Christmas Ale with a malty/fruity backdrop with an added X-mas spiced character (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel).
Three Floyds Brewing Company – Alpha Klaus: A big American Christmas Porter brewed with English chocolate malt, Mexican sugar, and of course, tons of strange American hops.
450 North Brewing Company – Barn Yeti: A strong, dark, barrel aged Belgian winter ale. Warming/welcoming with a slightly sweet, slightly salty, completely delicious taste profile.
Scarlett Lane Brewing Company – Marley’s Ghost: Marley’s Ghost uses chocolate malts, peppermint candies and cocoa to bring you the perfect Holiday Ale.
Triton Brewing Company – Gingerbread Brown: This spiced brown ale is brewed with cloves, cinnamon, allspice and ginger just in time for the holidays. This unique brew is a deliciously sweet, spicy, earthy beer here to help you enjoy family and hearth.

Honorable Mention
(These are damn good beers too and it’s a shame I was limited to only selecting 5. I’m sure an editor’s note might appear shortly.) (Ed. note: I’ll allow it)

QuaffOn! Brewing Company – Santa Quaff: Santa Quaff is a nod to the holiday season. A brown ale spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar will help keep you warm all winter long!
Powerhouse Brewing Company – Peanut Butter Porter: A rich, creamy, and downright delicious porter from one of my favorite breweries in the state. The peanut butter porter here is done right, with just the right amount of sweet to cut through the roasty malt bill. A real holiday treat.
Flat12 Bierwerks – Snickerdoodle Blonde - Blonde ale fermented with Lactose (Milk Sugar) aged with whole Cinnamon Sticks and Vanilla Beans.
Bloomington Brewing Company – Krampus Imperial Black IPA: Roasty malt aroma combines with a piney, resiny hop scent to intrigue your senses. Dry hopping with citrus, spicy, and earthy hop varietals results in intense, danky hoppiness (100 IBU’s) up front that leads to a smooth finish

Folks, these are just a few of many. Is there a special holiday beer I forgot? Don’t chastise me. Instead, grab a sixer or growler and share it with YOUR family this holiday season. After all, it is the gift of giving that’s important. (FYI, I’m also more than happy to accept the gift of beer if you’re hell-bent to prove to me which one I missed.)

Regardless of your belief, I think the important thing is that you find something to celebrate and, in the profound words of Bret Michaels and Poison, find something to believe in.

Enjoy the holiday season and each other.

Until next time, this is where I leave you.