Beer is not just "Beer1x" If you share my passion for this wondrous beverage, you already know that. Around this time of year, you might be prone to consider one of the many available winter beers. There is much to know about winter beers and beers for the winter. But as we delve deeper into this world few things remain crystal clear. The beer gets darker and cloudier, and so does some of the terminology.
Here are just a few examples. Pale ales are darker in color than most, pale only in their comparison to brown and black ales. Dry ales are totally wet; the dryness might better be described as bitterness. Bitter ales, which have nothing to do with bitters, usually taste bitter, but are not necessarily as bitter as other styles like India Pale Ale, which comes not from India but England.
When my buddy Rob pours me a pint of stout at my local Irish pub it is not 16 but 20 ounces, an Imperial pint, but not Imperial stout, which is a special style. It's Guinness, which is dry rather than sweet stout which...well, you get the idea.
Now that we are straight on everything else, I like many ales for the winter, but not winter ales. So-called winter and holiday beers are a mixed bag. A few are enjoyable, but most are an acquired taste.
Two things particularly concern me about them. First, the alcohol content is usually higher, sometimes as much as double or triple what people are used to in typical beers. Though drinking and driving never mix in any season, conditions are particularly dangerous around the winter holidays. The icy roads and a greater proportion of people "celebrating" make the higher alcohol beverages all the more dangerous.
The second is that I'm not thrilled with the style itself. Winter beers are flavored with herbs and spices. Reviews of particular brands detail descriptions of the robust tastes of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and coriander. These are beers, folks, not curry. Some Christmas beers have labels displaying evergreen branches. Some versions I've tried taste as though a few Christmas trees fell into the brewing vat, possibly with ornaments and tinsel still attached. Yuck. Enough of tree beers for me for a while. I'm no sap.
Though I might wish to encourage people to try different styles of beer, I'd advise staying away from winter beers. The strong, spicy taste of even a well made example of the style might turn off a would-be beer explorer in the same way that a slab of raw octopus might not be the best choice for a first time sushi eater.
There are plenty of beers that are available all during the year that seem to work particularly well in the winter. One of my favorite styles is India Pale Ale, of which there are many excellent renditions from England and American craft brewers. The flavor is strong, hoppy, and assertive. Some brands are much better than others are, but I truly can't remember one that really tasted bad. (Just like I can't remember a mass-produced beer that tasted good).
A more traditional winter selection might be porter or stout. Stout may be a richer (stouter) version of a porter, but often the terms are used interchangeably. The key element is the roasting of the barely malt in a kiln, imparting a flavor which is toasty, or coffee-like, yet smooth. It's a perfect drink to have while sitting in front of a fireplace. (Especially if there is a fire in it). It also goes very well as an accompaniment to or an ingredient in winter stews. Porter goes so well with beef that a cut a steak was named for it: Porterhouse.
To help you experiment with different styles a good beer distributor may allow you to purchase bottles individually or to mix and match selections of different styles made by the same brewer.
My guy does, stout fellow that he is.
