Beers with WINTER in the name

We had our first taste of winter a few weeks ago but the cold is finally starting to set in.  Winter beer season has finally arrived.  For many of us we start looking for big stouts and barley wines when the tempetures plumet but this style in the last couple of years has given stouts a run for their money.

Winter beers as a style are usually more malty and sweet and can vary any where from a pale amber color to a dark roasty black.  They are mostly lighter in hops and sometimes even have spices added to them for a little holiday kick.

Smuttynose Winter was no exception it started of with a nice roasty bite on your tounge and smoothed out with slightly sweet finish.  This is one of your middle of the road winters it is not to high in alcohol like some of the warmers you can find and it's not drowning in spices.  A decent amount of hops were present to give it a little spice presence but no real seasonal spices were apparent. It was a very well balanced winter beer that you could have more than one of.

Here are a few of our other winter beers that have arrived in the last few weeks

Goose Island Mild Winter
Point St. Benedicts
Ommegang Adoration
Rogue Santas Private Reserve
Rush River Winter Warmer
Smuttynose Winter
Tommyknocker Cocoa Porter
Hinterland Winterland
Lagunitas Sucks Hoiday Ale
Samuel Adams Winter
Summit Winter
Sierra Nevada Celebration
Capital Winter Skal
Southern Tier Old Man Winter
Weyerbacher Winter
Anderson Valley Winter Solstice

This is the list so far and it will continue to grow.  Just like Octoberfest beers there are many breweries that like to stay true to style and others that like to do exactly the opposite.  So get out there try a few and you determine what ones are a must when the relatives are visiting.

Cheers