To beer or to not beer? That is the existential question for today’s post Thanksgiving Happy Hour. Starting in October, holiday beers and winter warmers arrive to spice up the cooler weather and kick off the party season.
The only two holiday beers I’ve actually tried are Sweetwater Festive Ale and Harpoon Winter Warmer. I’m not that into beer, but my sister always brings either of these two for our holiday get togethers. Sweetwater is a local brewery in Atlanta. Harpoon is out of Massachusetts. Both started by college buddies. The Sweetwater has hints of chocolate and cinnamon. The Harpoon is malty spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Popping up on a lot of Best of Lists for 2020 are:
- Avery Brewing Old Jubilation – malty flavor with hints of caramel
- Troeg’s The Mad Elf – pretty boozy at 11% with hints of honey and cherry
- Samichlaus Classic – considered the strongest beer in the world with a 14% ABV
Are spiced beers your thing during the holidays, Deadsplinterers? If so, which ones? Or are you a “ditch the brew bring on the hard stuff” kind of holiday drinker?
Fun Movie Fact: We used the Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta as our interior Sriracha factory in the movie Stuber.
I’m not a beer drinker either. I do like hard ciders. Unfortunately both cideries in town are doing growlers only because of COVID. And you can’t refill your own growler, you have to buy one of theirs. I haven’t been getting any because how many growler bottles do I need lying around? I should check to see what they have available in holiday flavors though.
i probably spent too much time in england…but beer is not what comes to mind when anyone mentions a growler round me
Oh dear, have I said something I didn’t intend?
not really…unless i take things out of context
i mean… you could definitely fill your own growler…but doing so in a cidery would most likely be frowned upon
(edit) growler comes from rhyming slang… growl and grunt…rhymes with…..
🤣
to beer or to beer…tbh…i only drink beer (weeeeellll….sometimes i drink the porter i have for cooking…its delicious….aaaaand…this time of year i have baileys in my coffee…but thats basically coffee milk…doesnt count as drinking)
anyways..i like pilsners…so basically..im not fussy..long as its cold and at least 5% im happy
I’m not much of a beer drinker and I usually prefer to drink something simple like a Vodka Gimlet. I may mix one up later today. I also recently picked up a hard cider advent calendar which I’m looking forward to starting next week.
Ooh, that sounds like a good Advent calendar!
Stuber is such a great movie!!! I’m currently making my Xmas list for my wife of stuff to buy me which usually is mostly beer t-shirts, beer hoodies, and brewing equipment! I don’t drink too many stouts but this brewery is one of my favorites and is doing a stout for a very good cause…
https://newschoolbeer.com/home/2020/11/great-notion-hr-40
I used to enjoy a few winter ales but not so much anymore. Deschutes Jubelale, Bridgeport Ebenezer (RIP), He’Brew Jewbelation, and HUB Abominable Winter Ale are all pretty amazing. I will drink a Delirium Noel if you force me too. Ok, not force, encourage. On tonight’s Happy Hour menu some Cloudburst beers. I swear these guys just throw darts to name beers but I love them!
https://cloudburstbrew.com/beers/
I drink a lot of winter seasonals (I like browns and porters year-round), and I think Jubelale was one of the first to really get my attention. Deschutes does a good job.
My next task is to find Pelican Brewing’s Midnight Malt Cocoa Porter. Their beer-finder says it’s in Boise, so I hope to grab some soon.
Gluhwein for daytime drinking, Cognac after supper, beer and wine in between.
Unless we’re talking Xmas eve with my mom. In which case it’s shabu shabu dinner with unlimited sake and champagne.
Those were my staples in the before times… before having had kids.
You are making me hungry! I love Shabu Shabu!
For some reason winter and the holidays brought on drinking cider. Mostly Strongbow.
Never liked the sweet ciders because it would give me bad hangovers (any booze derived from non grain sources did), but I enjoyed Strongbow because it was dry and didn’t.
Also would try to drink “foreign” or “international” beers for BYOB New Years Parties because I liked to drink something different. Sure it was expensive compared to my regular domestic stuff, but I didn’t end up drinking so much that I was miserable/sick/super drunk which is partially why I did it.
I subscribe to the “ditch the brew and bring on the hard stuff” school of thought, unless we’re talking champagne.