The 12 Beers of Christmas

The latest issue of Draft Magazine has a great article on their favorite holiday brews, which I was reading last night. I'll give you a handy link right here:

Holiday Beers: Draft Picks

In it they have 10 of their favorite holiday brews, but as I haven't gotten to try all of them you'll either have to take their word for them of go find them yourselves. Trust me though, I read their magazine every issue and they seldom will lead beer lovers astray. I've tried about half of them.

Since a dozen is such a nice number though, I'll add 2 more to their list and call my list the much more catchy title of...

The 12 Beers of Christmas!

See how that rolls off the tongue?

Let's begin.

These beers don't represent specific styles, and there are no rules: A Christmas beer can be (and contain) whatever a brewer wants, as long as it's special. Below, the cream of this season's crop.

* Our Special Ale
Anchor Brewing Co., California
People have guessed that this dark ale has been spiced with everything from licorice and nutmeg to chestnut and pumpkin. The ingredients are secret, and that's part of the fun.

* Celebration Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., California
This extraordinarily hopped pale ale (using Cascades and Centennial flowers) is beautifully balanced and a joy to savor.

* Avecles Bons Voeux
Brasserie Dupont, Belgium
A classic farmhouse ale, Avec was first made for the brewery's workers. The perfumelike aroma of hops is complemented by layers of spicy flavor from its special yeast strain.

* Samichlaus Bier
Schloss Eggenberg, Austria
Brewed on St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 7), it's known as the strongest lager (14% ABV) in the world. Drink it from a snifter to enjoy the fruity malt flavors.

* Winter Welcome Ale
Samuel Smith Old Brewery, England
Revived by Seattle beer importer Charles Finkel, this rich, creamy, malty ale is modeled on England's old wassails.

* Corsendonk Christmas Ale
Brouwerij Corsendonk, Belgium
Named after a now-closed monastery, the Corsendonk brewery produces the prototypical strong, dark Belgian Christmas beer. Rich and dark with a spicy, chocolatey aroma, it's outstanding either from its corked bottle or on tap.

* Santa's Private Reserve
Rogue Ales, Oregon
The hoppy red ale is wonderfully flavorful, but it's the bottle itself -- decorated with glistening, glow-in-the-dark snowflakes -- that make this a favorite among beer fans.

* Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
Boston Beer Co., Massachusetts
In Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Old Fezziwig was the antithesis of Scrooge, a generous businessmen loved by his employees. The warmer is spiced with cinnamon and fresh ginger, with a honeylike malt flavor and a bit of orange in the finish.

* Mad Elf Ale
Tröegs Brewing Co., Pennsylvania
This 11%-ABV Belgian strong dark ale is made with tart cherries and honey. Its dominant character is a tingling clove spiciness, the product of unique Belgian yeast strains.

* Christmas Bock
Mahr's Brau, Germany
The first time this festive beer was offered at Mahr's, locals sucked down the entire supply in two hours. These days, there's enough of this rich, malty bock for everyone.

* Delirium Noël
Brouwerij Huyghe, Belgium
A Belgian strong dark ale that's 10.00% ABV, it was born in 2000. Not as sweet as I expected and really not that spicy either. Actually a pretty balanced fruity taste.

* Nutcracker Ale
Boulevard Brewery, Kansas City, Mo.
This hearty, warming brew is a classic winter ale, deep amber in color, with hints of molasses balanced by the "spiciness" of freshly harvested Chinook hops.