We’ve come to learn there are beers fit for any forecast, and that includes sweater weather. The following cold weather brews are our true winter warmers…dark, malty and with higher alcohol content to leave you feeling nice and fuzzy inside. Reach for any one of these next to a roaring fire and reflect on the fullness of flavor!
Wassail Winter Ale
Full Sail Brewing Company
Oct.-Dec.
7.2 percent ABV
A multi-medal winner that has been brewed by Oregon’s Full Sail Brewing Company (Click Here for more on their Session Lager), one of the U.S.’s first craft breweries, since 1988. The flavor of this mahogany ale varies slightly from year to year, as the brewers carefully select a blend of malts and hops.
This year’s Wassail has a range of caramel malts and dark chocolate malts, giving it a deep mahogany color and a full malty body. Available in 6-packs and on draft.
The Chimay Blue Cap
Chimay Brewery
Year-Round
9 percent ABV
The Blue Cap is a dark Trappist beer from the Chimay Brewery in Belgium. It has a powerful aroma, the complex flavor of which improves over the years! First brewed as a Christmas beer, it became popular enough to brew year-round. Enjoy the Blue Cap’s dry, creamy taste with caramel notes and ability to pair with a wide variety of holiday fare.
Brown Shugga’
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Nov. – Jan.
9.99 percent ABV
Here’s a special release from the Lagunitas Brewing Company that actually happened by accident, after an aborted batch of their Olde GnarleyWine failed to impress. This guy is high on malt, hops, and yeast, which yields to a rich, roasty, and mysteriously creamy strong ale. Available in 6-packs and kegs.
Duvel Tripel Hop
Duvel Moortgat Brewery
Limited
9.5 percent ABV
The Duvel is a 100% pure and natural beer, traditionally brewed with two hop varieties. The 2014 version of the Tripel Hop is brewed with three – the third this year being the exotic Mosaic from the USA. This results in an amped up bitterness in this Belgian IPA!
The typical Duvel palate is enriched with Mosaic hops providing fresh notes of tropical fruit and a delish blueberry flavor…
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