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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
