On top of all of the food, twinkling lights, parties, and generally revelry associated with the holidays, the time off just might be the best part. Even if you have your in-laws visiting, you still probably get a few days (if not a week or more) off for the holidays. This extra time at home is a great opportunity to enjoy some of the incredible winter beers currently available.
What else are you going to do from now until New Year’s? Spend time with your family? Why not enjoy a beer or three while you’re at it!
Since winter is such a great time for beer, we understand the idea of rounding up the best, most flavorful winter beers is a bit of a daunting task. This is why we decided to do the work for you. Keep scrolling to see our 20 favorite seasonal brews ranked by overall flavor.
20) Harpoon Winter Warmer
ABV: 5.9%
Average Price: $11.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
One of the more well-known winter warmers on the market, Harpoon Winter Warmer has been a Boston classic since its inception in 1988. Known for its mix of sweetness and wintry spices, it’s a warming hug on a cold winter night.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is spicier than we’d prefer with cinnamon and nutmeg making an appearance along with toffee. The palate continues this trend with roasted malts, vanilla, and caramel pairing with a heavy dose of wintry spices. It could use a better balance between malts and spices.
Bottom Line:
Maybe this one is more nostalgia, but that’s okay by us. It just tastes like frigid winter day. It’s just a little heavy-handed on the spices for some drinkers.
19) Southern Tier Old Man Winter
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Only available in November and December, Old Man Winter is a 7.5% ABV winter ale brewed with ale yeast, three types of hops, and two types of malts. It foregoes the wintry spices for roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, and slightly bitter hops instead.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of roasted malts, caramel, chocolate, and lightly floral hops greet you before your first sip. On the palate, you’ll find notes of dried fruits, roasted malts, caramel, and a nutty sweetness.
Bottom Line:
While we don’t prefer overly spiced winter ales, this one is lacking a little in the flavor department. It’s malty, but just a little light as winter seasonals usually go.
18) 21st Amendment Fireside Chat
ABV: 7.9%
Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This beer is named for the “fireside chats” or evening addresses by then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt. It’s even adorned with an image of the former president sitting beside a roaring fire. It’s a warming, seasonal English-style ale with wintry spices.
Tasting Notes:
The nose isn’t overly exciting, but there are hints of cocoa powder, caramel, ginger, and orange peels. These scents give way to a palate of brown bread, candied orange peels, gingerbread, chocolate, toffee, and just a hint of floral, resinous pine at the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is another spiced winter ale that just doesn’t completely hit the mark. It’s decent but is just lacking in overall aroma and flavor.
17) Boulevard Nutcracker Ale
ABV: 7.8%
Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Besides a Christmas tree or a menorah, there are few things more associated with the holidays than a wooden nutcracker. That’s why Boulevard named its 7.5% ABV winter warmer after the iconic nut-crushing soldier. It gets its flavor from a variety of malts and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
Brown bread, candied nuts, dried fruits, molasses, and slightly floral, piney hops are noticeable on the nose. The palate features more caramel malts, brown bread, molasses, piney hops, and gentle wintry spices. The finish is slightly hoppy and bitter.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t a bad beer. It’s just kind of mislabeled. The imagery makes you think it’s going to be a spiced, wintry beer when it’s really just a malty, lager-like winter warmer. Nothing really special here.
16) Dark Horse 4 Elf
ABV: 8.75%
Average Price: $10 for a four-pack
The Beer:
The brewers at Dark Horse refer to 4 Elf as “holiday cheer in liquid form” and we couldn’t agree more. This winter warmer gets its memorable, seasonal flavor from the addition of malt and hops as well as brown sugar, honey, clove, cinnamon, and even nutmeg.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly spicy with orange peels, cinnamon, nutmeg, and floral herbal hops. Drinking it adds to the seasonal appeal with flavors like clove, candied orange peels, caramel malts, cinnamon, and more spicy, floral hops at the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a well-made winter warmer for fans of spice. It would be better served with a little more caramel malt flavor to offset the hops and spices though.
15) New Belgium Accumulation
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
As winter beers go, this is about as far from a winter warmer as you can get. This 6.5% ABV hazy, winter IPA is released in December to be enjoyed during ski season or by anyone looking for a respite from darker beers. It gets its snappy, juicy, citrusy flavor from the addition of Mosaic, Lotus, Strata, and El Dorado hops.
Tasting Notes:
This IPA’s aroma is citrus through and through. There’s a ton of tangerine, lime, lemon, and earthy, resinous pine. It’s a great start that leads into a memorable palate of grapefruit, candied pineapple, lemon zest, tangerine, and a nice kick of slightly bitter pine.
Bottom Line:
As hazy IPAs go, this one isn’t as juicy and tropical fruit-filled as expected. It’s a little more one-dimensional, relying on citrus almost exclusively.
14) Anderson Valley Winter Solstice
ABV: 6.9%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Anderson Valley set out to create a classic winter warmer with its Winter Solstice and they did just that. It’s brewed with Pale 2-row, Crystal, and Munich malts as well as oat flakes, house yeast, and Northern Brewer and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of toffee, brown bread, dried fruits, and wintry spices greets you before your first sip. On the palate, you’ll notice layer upon layer of caramel, toasted malts, dried fruits, cinnamon, and other seasonal spices. A lot is going on with this beer.
Bottom Line:
This is a well-made winter warmer. It has the caramel malts and the spices, but nothing is overdone. The only thing holding it back is the fact that it could almost use even more wintry spices to round it out.
13) Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $10.99 for a four-pack
The Beer:
This 6% ABV winter ale is known for its complex, balanced flavor profile featuring a heavy dose of caramel malts as well as Fuggle and Golding hops. The result is a malty, spicy, slightly hoppy beer for the cold nights ahead.
Tasting Notes:
The aromas is all brown bread, raisins, dried cherries, toffee, and herbal, floral hops. It’s a good start and it only gets better when you take a sip. This is where you encounter notes of sticky toffee, figs, raisins, bready malts, honey, vanilla, and lightly bitter, floral hops.
Bottom Line:
This is an interesting, flavorful, balanced winter warmer. Its only downfall is that at such a low ABV for a winter warmer, the flavors are slightly muted.
12) Widmer Brothers Brrr
ABV: 7.2%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This aptly named award-winning beer isn’t your usual winter sipper. Instead of the usual winter warmer or other dark beer, this is a Northwest-style red ale. Brewed with Chocolate and Caramel malts as well as a healthy dose of hops (Alchemy, Eureka, and Cascade), it’s a great take on the wintry style.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is loaded with toffee candy, brown bread, candied orange peel, dried fruits, and pine needles. On the palate, you’ll find flavors like orange peel, caramel, freshly baked bread, vanilla, and earthy, herbal, piney hops. It’s subdued in the best way possible.
Bottom Line:
While this beer isn’t over-the-top when it comes to seasonal flavors. It’s in its balanced simplicity where it shines.
11) Two Beers Tipsy Toboggan
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
While we’d never suggest climbing into a toboggan at the top of a steep hill after you’ve had a few beers, we do suggest you try this seasonal favorite from Two Beers. This 6.8% ABV winter ale was brewed with 2-row, Vienna, Munich, Black Prinz, Crystal 60, Crystal 150, and white wheat. It gets its snappy kick from the addition of Columbus, Galena, and Cascade hops.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a ton of raisins, dried cherries, butterscotch, vanilla, and brown sugar on the nose. It invites you to take a sip. This is where you’ll find even more flavors like figs, raisins, toffee, treacle, chocolate, and even cinnamon. It’s a very fruity, rich beer that you’ll be craving all year long.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to winter beers, this is definitely something different and that’s not such a bad thing. It’s heavy with fruit and caramel and just as heavy with happiness.
10) Highland Cold Mountain
ABV: 5.9%
Average Price: $15.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Highland Brewing has been making this perennial winter classic for the last twenty-six years. It’s brewed with 2-row, Pilsen, Vienna, Chocolate, Caramel 40, Caramel 60, and wheat as well as Cascade and Mt. Hood hops.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of dried fruits, cinnamon sugar, vanilla, caramel, and roasted malts. The flavor is highlighted by brown bread, toffee, brown sugar, cinnamon, roasted malts, chocolate, and other wintry spices. Sweet, warming, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
Cold Mountain is a little lighter in ABV than many winter warmers, but somehow it’s still loaded with balanced seasonal flavors and aromas.
9) Flying Dog Freezin’ Season
ABV: 7.4%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This 7.4% ABV winter warmer is aptly named as it’s known for its warming mix of caramel malts and sweet, dried fruits. It’s also one of the earliest winter beers to hit shelves as it launches at the end of October.
Tasting Notes:
Before your first sip, you’re met with aromas of vanilla beans, caramel malts, freshly baked bread, ginger, and gentle spices. This leads to a palate of sticky toffee, vanilla, dried fruits, cinnamon, and roasted malts. It’s malty, sweet, with just a hint of wintry spice.
Bottom Line:
This winter warmer has everything winter beer fans could want. It’s higher in ABV, warming, malty, and doesn’t overdo it with the holiday spices.
8) Troegs Mad Elf
ABV: 11%
Average Price: $15.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This holiday favorite is a mischievous mix of Chocolate, Munich, and Pilsner malts paired with honey and five different kinds of cherries. It’s bold, indulgent, sweet, malty, and well-suited for winter drinking.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all cinnamon sugar, toffee, vanilla beans, wintry spices, and a whole wallop of dried cherry flavor. The palate follows suit with notes of caramel, roasted malts, chocolate, Christmas spices, and sweeter, tart, delicious cherry flavor.
Bottom Line:
This one is for the cherry fans. It has the wintry spices and flavors winter beer fans love, but it’s put over the top with the dried cherry flavor.
7) Odell Isolation Ale
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Nobody wants to be snowed in, but they might not mind if they found themselves with a sixer (or hopefully more) of Odell Isolation Ale. Simply brewed with Rocky Mountain water, roasted and caramel malts, and Nugget hops, it’s a true seasonal favorite.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find brown bread, roasted malts, butterscotch, and just a hint of dried fruits. On the palate, you’ll find flavors of bready malts, caramel candy, dried fruit, roasted malts, and gentle herbal, earthy, slightly piney hops at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This popular winter beer is a great example of balance. Bready, caramel malts give way to light herbal hops, creating a classic winter beer.
6) Carton Decoy
ABV: 12%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
As winter beers go, this one is truly unique. This 12% ABV Belgian-style strong ale is flavored with Special B malts and Belgian candi sugars as well as coriander, cumin, lavender flowers, Sichuan red peppercorns, and even honey.
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of sweet honey, peppery spices, raisins, figs, caramel, vanilla, and earthy, floral aromas come first before the first sip. Drinking it brings forth notes of dried cherries, plums, honey, vanilla beans, roasted malts, and just a hint of wintry spices.
Bottom Line:
This one should appeal to fans of Belgian beers and Belgian-style beers. It’s complex, spiced, and perfect for a cold winter night.
5) Jolly Pumpkin Noel
ABV: 9%
Average Price: $15.99 for a 750ml bottle
The Beer:
This 9% ABV wild dark strong holiday ale is brewed with Styrian Aurora, Fuggle, and Tettnang hops as well as Pilsner Malt, Wheat Malt, and Chocolate Malt before being aged for a full six months in oak.
Tasting Notes:
This beer smells like a fruitcake with dried fruits, caramel malts, brown bread, and a nutty aroma. The palate is more of the same with candied almonds, raisins, dried cherries, figs, vanilla beans, toffee, and an almost wine-like fruity flavor throughout.
Bottom Line:
In a world of spiced winter warmers, Jolly Pumpkin Noel with its wine-like, oaky flavor profile is a nice respite.
4) pFriem Winter Ale
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $7.99 for a 16-ounce can
The Beer:
This complex winter ale was brewed with Rahr Pale, Simpsons Munich, Simpsons Crystal Dark, and Carafa III malts as well as Chinook, Citra, El Dorado, Galaxy, and Mosaic hops. It’s known for its dried fruit, caramel, and lightly piney flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
Caramel, brown bread, roasted malts, grapefruit, candied orange peels, dried berries, and gentle, herbal pine can be found on the nose. Sipping it reveals notes of caramel, vanilla beans, light citrus zest, dried fruits, and pine needles. The finish is dry, sweet, and gently spiced.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic winter ale. It has a great mix of caramel, winter spices, and pine. Everything is in perfect unison.
3) Sierra Nevada Celebration
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
There are few winter beers more popular than the classic Sierra Nevada Celebration. The best part? It isn’t anything like any of the other well-known winter beers. This is because it’s a fresh hop IPA brewed with Cascade and Centennial hops.
Tasting Notes:
This change of pace seasonal beer begins with grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon zest along with caramel malts, and pine needles. The palate continues this with cereal grains, caramel, tangerine, grapefruit, and a bitter, floral, piney finish.
Bottom Line:
Often, we don’t think of IPAs when we think of winter beers. But Sierra Nevada Celebration is just that. A bold, bright, hoppy IPA perfect for respite from darker, maltier beers.
2) Deschutes Jubeleale
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $11.99 for a six-pack
https://www.totalwine.com/beer/specialty-styles/winter-warmer/deschutes-jubelale/p/101728126
The Beer:
There’s a reason Deschutes Jubelale is one of the most popular winter beers. Brewed with Pale, Crystal, Extra Special, Carapils malts, and roasted barley, it gets its hop flavor from the addition of Bravo, Cascade, Delta, Us Tettnang, and East Kent Goldings. The result is a malty, slightly spicy, piney winter beer worth remembering.
Tasting Notes:
Roasted malts, toffee, raisins, dried cherries, brown bread, honey, and wintry spices are the first aromas found on the nose. On the palate, you’ll find notes of treacle, chocolate, caramel candy, brown sugar, dried fruits, wintry spices, and lightly floral, herbal pine.
Bottom Line:
Light spices, caramel, herbal hops, this warming, rich, sweet winter warmer have everything you could want in a winter seasonal.
1) Fremont Winter Ale
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $11.99 for a four-pack
The Beer:
This 8% ABV imperial winter ale is available in November and December, but it’s the latter where it really shines. It’s brewed with 2-row Pale, Munich, C-120, Chocolate, and Carafa 2 malts as well as roasted barley, Columbus, US Goldings, and Willamette hops.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are aromas of graham crackers, raisins, fudge, sticky toffee, and Christmas spices. The palate continues this trend with flavors like cocoa, caramel candy, cinnamon, ginger, and herbal, earthy pine.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most well-balanced winter beers on the market. The malts and hops are in perfect symmetry and it doesn’t have any over-the-top spices to hold it back.
