Honestly, there’s no wrong time to drink beer, as there are styles to suit every season and temperature. You can stick with light lagers and IPAs, but winter is also the perfect time to sip Doppelbock, Barley Wine, Stout, Winter Warmer, and other bold, malty winter beers.
This plethora of beer options during the winter has led us on a journey to find the best options to drink from now until the final spring thaw. I asked for We asked renowned craft beer experts and brewers to tell us the best beers to drink this winter. Keep scrolling to see all our picks.
New Glarus Wheat Doppelbock
Ryan Schmiege, Head of Brewing Operations at Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. in Redmond and Bend, Oregon
Alcohol degree: 9%
Average price: limited availability
beer:
New Glarus Weizen Doppelbock is a great beer when you’re in Wisconsin in the winter. This beer is all about your often-underrated friends: malt and yeast.
Tasting notes:
Full of fruity esters and banana notes layered on cinnamon and cloves. Enjoying the fireplace under the starry sky is a highlight.
Great Divide Hibernation Ale
Sam Cruise, co-founder of Against the Grain in Louisville, Kentucky
Alcohol degree: 8.7%
Average price: $11 for 6 pack
beer:
I love Hibernation Ale produced by Great Divide from Denver, Colorado. Hibernation is an English-style Old Ale. I love this beer, and I love drinking it with sharp cheese and rustic bread, or as a nightcap by the fireplace on a cold night.
Tasting notes:
It has graham cracker, cocoa, and robust coffee flavors with a raisin-like sweetness. I think the alcohol content is 8.7%, so it’s definitely a warmer for winter.
Sierra Nevada Celebration
Joshua Bartlett, Founder and CEO of Learning to Homebrew in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Alcohol degree: 6.8%
Average price: $11 for 6 pack
beer:
Perhaps my favorite winter season is the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.It’s a West Coast IPA, but this beer is steeped in winter traditions and celebrates the Pacific Northwest’s annual Cascade and Centenary hop harvests. An event that feels like winter to me because it’s brewed to celebrate
Tasting notes:
The classic West Coast hop flavor has notes of citrus, pine, and floral, and the hops in this beer are at their flavor peak.
Anchor Christmas Ale
Judy Neff, founder and brewer of Baltimore’s Checkerspot Brewing Company (winner of Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream 2022 Experienceship)
Alcohol degree: 7%
Average price: $12 for 6 pack
beer:
Christmas may be on the backburner, but Anchor Christmas Ale is on sale until January, so it’s my go-to winter beer. They make a different one each year with a different art and I have been drinking it every year for the last 25 years! They’re all pretty much the same style, but each has its own unique style and blend of ingredients.
Tasting notes:
The 2022 version featured notes of dried fruit, caramel, chocolate, toasted marshmallows and mild winter spices.
Harpoon Winter Warmer
Jessica Eaton, Assistant Taproom Manager at Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company in Framingham, Massachusetts
Alcohol degree: 6%
Average price: $12 for 6 pack
beer:
Harpoon Brewery Winter Warmer. It has been an annual winter warmer since it was first released in 1988. It’s a warm taste blended with winter spices.
Tasting notes:
A hint of spice and notes of nutmeg, ginger and cloves will warm you up in winter. I enjoy the dry, spicy finish of this beer.
Revolution fistmass
Peter Bruno, brewmaster at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ale in Dexter, Michigan
Alcohol degree: 6.5%
Average price: $12 for 6 pack
beer:
Revolution Brewing’s Fistmas brings back memories of bringing beer to holiday parties. Even after the holiday season is over, this holiday-spiced beer will warm him up in January just as much as it did in December.
Tasting notes:
It has a bready, caramel flavor that makes it the perfect food-pairing beer for heavy winter foods.
Anchor Old Foghorn
George Hummel, grain master at My Local Brew Works in Philadelphia
Alcohol degree: 8-10%
Average price: $15 for a 6 pack
beer:
Sometimes you have to go with the classics, and Anchor’s Old Foghorn is the original American barley wine. I first had a beer at a small “sometimes” craft brewery in San Francisco. They served it by the pint. His wife drove the rest of the way.
Tasting notes:
This memorable beer is just an explosion of dried fruit, citrus and ramie-like liquor.
Deschutes Juvelaret
Brian Donaldson, Brewing Innovation Manager at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California
Alcohol degree: 6.7%
Average price: $12 for 6 pack
beer:
The Jubelale from Deschutes is perfect for me. The alcohol content isn’t as high as the others, and the flavor takes the lead. It’s a spice like a holiday cake. You get warmth by association.
Tasting notes:
A bit of toffee and chocolate tops it off and gives a touch of joy (Is it a word? I say it’s a word).
big time old woolly
Far Allen, Head Brewer of Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville, California
Alcohol degree: 9.9%
Average price: limited availability
beer:
Many brewers recommend throwing everything but the kitchen sink into a big beer, but winter beers like barley wine, even if they’re really big beers, need to be balanced. there is. And barley wine is not a stout. It should have some color, but should not be dark beer. Seattle’s Big Time Brewery’s Old Woolly has always been one of my favorite winter beers.
Tasting notes:
It’s not too sweet, has just the right amount of richness, and is well-balanced without being overly hoppy.
See more winter fields
Garth E. Beyer, Cicerone certified, owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
Alcohol degree: 4.6%
Average price: limited availability
beer:
In a season when it feels like every brewer is trying to make the biggest, worst, boozy beer, MORE Brewing’s Winter Fields is a great winter respite.
Tasting notes:
An English-style brown ale offering notes of toffee, walnut and light earthy chocolate. Even better, it recorded his ABV of 4.6%, making it a very sessionable winter warmer.