Bartenders Shout Out Beers They’re Drinking This January

With a new year comes new resolutions and the promise of trying new things — new foods, new hobbies, new adventures. It’s also a great time to get started on a goal of trying new beers. When better than the top of 2022 to expand your beer-loving palate? (Or you could take PBR’s advice for what to try!)

The winter is filled with a seemingly endless supply of bold, robust, spiced, and deeply warming beer offerings. So we asked a handful of our favorite bartenders to tell us the beers they plan to drink this January, with temperatures plunging. Keep reading to see all of their selections.

Alaskan Smoked Porter

Alaskan Smoked Porter
Alaskan Brewing

Steven Hirschauer, bartender at the Responsible Glutton in San Diego

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $10 for a 22-ounce bottle

Why This Beer?

Alaskan Smoked Porter is a seasonal and limited release that also brings a sense of nostalgia. There’s just enough smoke and sweetness that pairs well with rich holiday foods while not overwhelming the smoked nature of things.

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald
Great Lakes

Katherine Ball, mixology director at Black Button Distilling in Rochester, New York

ABV: 6%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

I love to cozy up with an Edmund Fitzgerald Porter by Great Lakes Brewing Company. The bittersweet chocolate-coffee notes are delicious and perfect for a chilly winter night.

Cigar City Maduro

Cigar City Maduro
Cigar City

Juliana Ortiz, food and beverage manager at The Vinoy Renaissance in St. Petersburg, Florida

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Cigar City Maduro is a decadent brown ale with chocolate, toffee, and espresso flavors, it has a silky texture with woody aromas that make it a delicious beer for those seeking extra warmth.

St. Bernardus Abt 12

St. Bernardus Abt 12
St. Bernardus

Nick du Mortier, lead mixologist at Bar Pendry in Chicago

ABV: 10%

Average Price: $14 for a 750ml bottle

Why This Beer?

St. Bernardus Abt 12 is a Belgian abbey ale, and, oh, does it feel like a malty caramel treat to savor. It has a heavy sipping quality to it. I like that I can take my time drinking it because it’s even better as it approaches room temperature.

Troegs Mad Elf

Troegs Mad Elf
Troegs

Christopher Devern, lead bartender at Red Owl Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ABV: 11%

Average Price: $16 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Mad Elf by Troegs with its cherry, chocolate, and spices is my pick. Made in Pennsylvania, this eleven percent festive beer has flavors that remind me of a cherry pie. This is definitely a great beer to sit inside with and enjoy on a cold day.

Protip: Try it with dessert.

Deschutes Jubelale

Deschutes Jubelale
Deschutes

Sean Ingenthron, bartender at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Carlsbad, California

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

My favorite accessible winter-style beer is the Jubelale from Deschutes Brewing. It is an English strong ale and it has notes of cocoa and toffee. It is rich and flavor-forward. It fills you up perfectly on cold, winter days.

Maplewood Brownie Points

Maplewood Brownie Points
Maplewood

Mark Phelan, beverage director at 16″ On Center in Chicago

ABV: 5.3%

Average Price: $9 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

Brown ales are my go-to when the temperature starts to dip, as their malty profile and extra body hold up well to sweater weather while staying lean enough to enjoy more than one. One of my favorites is Maplewood’s Brownie Points, which adds a little vanilla for an added layer of cold-weather flavor.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Samuel Adams

Marla White, lead bartender at Lona Cocina & Tequileria in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

ABV: 5.8%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Samuel Adam’s Winter Lager is a seasonal beer that is released nationally around the time the weather starts to turn colder. Once the later months of the year approach and the sun goes down a little earlier, you know you can look forward to this seasonal rotation. The cinnamon, ginger, and orange flavors remind me of the comfort of gingerbread or carrot cake.

Founders Breakfast Stout

Founders Breakfast Stout
Founders

Jamie Shaw, beverage manager at Stella of New Hope in New Hope, Pennsylvania

ABV: 8.3%

Average Price: $11 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

I’m not a huge beer drinker, but I do look forward to winter for enjoying a good coffee stout or porter when the weather gets cold. It’s nice to sip on something rich and really flavorful. Founders Breakfast Stout is one of my favorites because of its dark chocolate, coffee, and bold malt flavors.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Goose Island

Brandon Gomez, bar manager at Cuyama Buckhorn in New Cuyama, California

ABV: 14%

Average Price: $14 for a 16.9-ounce bottle

Why This Beer?

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout is hands down the special release winter beer I look forward to every year. It is barrel-aged for more than a year. It is a healthy (depending on the release) 12-15 percent ABV and we serve it in both 4-ounce and 8-ounce snifters. It has a sweet raisin and caramel flavor, which is followed by a smokiness from the barrel aging.

This drink’s almost more like a dessert wine than a beer.

Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout

Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout
Left Hand

Daniel Bedoya, bartender at HOWM Cocina & Cocktails in New York City

ABV: 6%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

A beer I look forward to in winter is definitely the Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout. Not only bold and complex with delicious coffee notes but it also has a beautiful mouthfeel. It’s a great beer to drink on its own. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, mix it into a cocktail.

North Coast Old Rasputin

North Coast Old Rasputin
North Coast

Lee Noble, lead mixologist at Art in the Age in Philadelphia

ABV: 9%

Average Price: $12 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

The rich dark flavors of North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, combined with its higher alcohol content, make for a great belly warmer for cold nights. It’s dark, chocolatey, and bold enough for the bitterest of winter evenings.

Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout

Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout
Belching Beaver

John Tran, restaurant manager of BluSky Restaurant & Bar in Anaheim, California

ABV: 5.3%

Average Price: $5 for a 12-ounce can

Why This Beer?

I get a mixed response to this beer, but I absolutely love Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout out of San Diego. To me, it’s the peanut butter cup of beers, but something about it reminds me of my childhood when I would tear into those chocolate packages and shove the pieces in my mouth as I ran off to play with my friends.

The flavors of the dark rich beer take me to a place of nostalgia and just makes me happy.

Three Floyds Robert The Bruce

Three Floyds Robert The Bruce
Three Floyds

Zach Wilks, bartender at Anthony’s Chophouse in Carmel, Indiana

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Robert the Bruce from Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana might be my favorite beer of all time. It’s super malty and hearty with a great note of malt and dried fruit. It starts sweet and caramel-like and finishes with a bitter note that balances everything out.

In my opinion, it’s one of the best beers made in the United States.

Spiteful God Damn Pigeon Porter

Spiteful God Damn Pigeon Porter
Spiteful

Andrew Bone, manager at Devereaux in Chicago

ABV: 8.2%

Average Price: $19 for a 22-ounce bottle

Why This Beer?

Porters are best in cold weather and one I have a proclivity for their flavors, chocolate, coffee, vanilla. Here in at Devereaux, we serve the God Damn Pigeon Porter from Spiteful, all that plus a higher ABV to keep you toasty through the winter.

Guinness Stout

Guinness Stout
Guinness

Samantha Montgomery, beverage specialist and national brand ambassador at Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky

ABV: 4.2%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

I am such a sucker for a Guinness Stout in the winter. It’s the nostalgia of growing up watching my dad and his friends drink it around the table playing cards, the coziness of a dimly lit Irish pub on a cold winter night, and the way it drinks, of course, dark and smooth. I know that rich, heavy stouts are all the rage these days, but I prefer Guinness for its light-body and easy drinkability.

Unibroue Maudite

Unibroue Maudite
Unibroue

Matthew Nathanson, director of restaurants at The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood in Los Angeles

ABV: 8%

Average Price: $11 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

When the weather gets cold, I love a Belgian dubbel, such as Unibroue’s Maudite (from Quebec). It’s amber-colored and malty without the bitterness associated with darker beer styles.

Monopolio Lager Negra

Monopolio Lager Negra
Monopolio

Vanessa Consiglieri, bar manager at Botanico Gin & Cookhouse in Coconut Grove, Florida

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

When the cool weather starts to roll in, I look forward to drinking Monopolio Lager Negra. And it’s because it has a very strong classic, dark, and Pilsen flavor. It’s refreshing, malty, and great for cold-weather drinking.

Harpoon Winter Warmer

Harpoon Winter Warmer
Harpoon

Cassie Stockbridge, bartender at Lobby Bar at The Godfrey Hotel in Boston

ABV: 6%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Harpoon’s Winter Warmer is something I look forward to every year. It’s the perfect ale on a cold and snowy night. Every sip tastes like the perfect blend of holiday spice. It reminds me of my grandma’s homemade ginger snaps.