"seasonal beers" news and stories

When early harvest apples are plucked, Madden heads to Wisconsin's Kickapoo Orchard and sources fresh-pressed cider. Back at the brewery, he creates a batch of his cream ale, made with lactose (milk sugar) and cream sugar, which adds a smidge of sweetness. Then he blends the two liquids together (40 percent cider, 60 percent ale), ferments them and releases the result as Fallen Apple.

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

Hoboken, N.J. spends a lot of time in the shadow of New York City. For many people, Hoboken is best recognized as "the last place your frat brother who was planning on going to business school" resided. But though many of its residents travel across the Hudson for work, Mike Farley, manager of Hoboken's the Mile Square, believes people shouldn't have to travel into the Big Apple to find a good beer.

"We have 30 taps," says Farley, speaking with pride about Hoboken's largest tap selection. "And we rotate about 17 of them constantly with all craft beer." He admits they have to keep on some of the standards -- Miller Lite, Guinness, Stella -- Hoboken is still a somewhat conservative place compared to, say, Brooklyn. But Farley believes their selection stands up to even some of the best bars in New York.

"Last month, we had 11 different Octoberfests," Farley points out. "People are already coming in asking for Christmas beers."

See the yesterday's complete draft list after the jump. ...

How do you keep that Christmas spirit going after today is done? Easy. Tomorrow your local beer seller will be back open for business. You run out, grab some Christmas beers, and keep that X-mas flavor going beer-sippin' style all the way to New Years.

Yes, Christmas beers do exist (regardless of how you think Jesus might feel about such a product). Some, like, say, Sly Fox Christmas Ale are a bit more explicit about their affiliations than others, but any winter seasonal can double as a great Christmas drink, and even old cold weather standbys like Guinness can be a perfect holiday treat.

By landing on the 25th, this week's Slashfood Ate (8) beer edition also doubles as a Christmas edition, so I present to you 8 links to 8 different lists of top Christmas beers.

• Joe Sixpack has been working double duty, publishing this Christmas beer list back in November,
• ...and then helping out NPR with their list yesterday.
• The always opinionated Joey Redner has his list on TampaBay.com.
• Rocky Mountain News reporter Jay Dedrick tends to lean towards local selections, though as he points out, Colorado is a "winter wonderland."
• Here is About.com's beer expert's list of "Top Ten Winter and Holiday Beer Recommendations"
• ...and another list from The Mercury News.
  
• Beer School Blog has been counting down the 12 Beers of Christmas day by day.
• And of course, if you're Jewish, there's always the Shmaltz Brewing Company and their HE'BREWs.

Happy Holidays!

It's cold. My laptop says it's 31°, and I believe it: The two most prominent sounds in my aural arena are the wispy winds rapping against my window and the hiss of the radiator readying itself for combat against the evenings projected low of 23. It's Saturday night and I don't dare go outside: I shudder at the thought that winter doesn't officially start for another month.

Luckily tonight, I find myself prepared with a couple selections from Magic Hat's Feast of Fools winter variety pack. In South Burlington, Vermont, they must realize winter doesn't always wait until December 21st, so these bottles have been tucked away in the fridge for a few weeks now awaiting such an opportunity. I'll speak about the merits of the beers themselves, but they also stand as excellent examples of the variety of ways a winter beer palate can be whet.