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Photo: Jenene Chesbrough.
When it comes to winter beers, we're often turned off by candy-sweet, overly spiced ales that taste like nutmeg-spiked cough syrup. A seasonal brew should not recall liquefied potpourri or sock us with serious alcohol. In the snowy heart of December, sometimes all we crave is a nice, dark drinkable beer.
The crew behind South Burlington, Vt.'s Magic Hat Brewing Company feels the same way. Since 1994, its brewing magicians have unveiled playful beers such as the unfiltered Circus Boy hefeweizen (made with lemongrass) and Wacko, a summertime refresher brewed with enough beet sugar to turn it Hello Kitty pink.
But for its newest winter seasonal, Magic Hat has turned to the dark side. Howl is a schwarzbier, aka a black lager. The German style melds a lager's drinkability with roasted flavors. It's all the fun of drinking a stout without feeling you've swallowed a lead weight.
