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30C

Winter Seasonal Beer

A stronger, darker, spiced beer that often has a rich body and warming finish suggesting a good accompaniment for the cold winter season.

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Transparent glass outline for Winter Seasonal Beer; colour varies by recipeColour varies by recipe

Parameter ranges

Alcohol · ABV

Varies with the base style

Bitterness · IBU

Varies with the base style

Color · SRM

Varies with the base style

Original gravity · OG

Varies with the base style

Final gravity · FG

Varies with the base style

Ranges describe a style, not an individual beer. Colour depends on the base beer and ingredients. The transparent glass outline does not depict a fixed beer colour.

About this entry

Winter Seasonal Beers are beers that suggest cold weather and the Christmas holiday season, and may include holiday spices, specialty sugars, and other products that are reminiscent of the festive season.

Appearance

Medium amber to very dark brown; darker versions are more common. Usually clear, although darker versions may be virtually opaque. Well-formed, persistent, off-white to tan head.

Aroma

Malty, spicy, fruity, and balanced. A wide range is possible, as long as it evokes the holiday theme. Fruit is often dark or dried in character. Hops are often subtle. Alcohol is often present, but smooth and supportive. Malty and sugary aromas tend to be greater in the balance, and support the spices. The components should be well-integrated, and create a coherent presentation. See Flavor section for spice, malt, sugar, and fruit character.

Flavor

Malty, spicy, fruity, and balanced. Allow for brewer creativity in meeting the theme objective. Warming or sweet spices common. Rich, sweet malty flavors are common, and may include caramel, toast, nutty, or chocolate flavors. May include dried fruit or dried fruit peel flavors such as raisin, plum, fig, cherry, orange peel, or lemon peel. May include distinctive sugar flavors, like molasses, honey, or brown sugar. The special ingredients should be supportive and balanced, not overshadowing the base beer. Bitterness and hop flavor are usually restrained to not interfere with special character. Usually finishes rather full and satisfying, often with a light alcohol flavor. Roasted malt characteristics are rare, and not usually stronger than chocolate.

Mouthfeel

Body is usually medium to full, often with a malty chewiness. Moderately low to moderately high carbonation. Age character allowable. Warming alcohol allowable.

Notes

The sensory profile can recall holiday foods and aromas such as Christmas cookies, gingerbread, English Christmas pudding, rum cake, eggnog, evergreen trees, potpourri, or mulling spices. These are flavor associations, not a required ingredient list. They should be balanced with a supportive, often malty, warming, darker base beer. Overall balance, drinkability, and the seasonal character matter more than identifying every individual ingredient.

History

The winter holiday season is a traditional time when old friends get together, where beer of a somewhat higher alcohol content and richness is served. Many breweries offer seasonal products that may be darker, stronger, spiced, or otherwise more characterful than their year-round beers. Spiced versions are an American or Belgian tradition, since English or German breweries traditionally do not use spices in their beer. Many American craft examples were inspired by Anchor Our Special Ale, first produced in 1975.

Characteristic ingredients

Spices are required, and often include those evocative of the Christmas season (e.g., allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger) but any combination is possible and creativity is encouraged. Fruit peel (e.g., oranges, lemon) may be used, as may subtle additions of other fruits (often dried or dark fruit). Flavorful adjuncts are often used (e.g., molasses, treacle, invert sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup). Usually ales, although strong dark lagers exist.

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