10 ESSENTIAL HOLIDAY BEERS TO STOCK UP ON

Man this year has flown by fast. It’s hard to believe that the best eating holidays are just around the corner and it’s once again time to get serious about planning out the perfect pairings for your holiday table, because nothing pairs better with the holiday season than beer. And we’re not just talking any old beer. Some of the best breweries in the country are making some spectacular holiday-inspired brews, and they’re just the thing you need to elevate your big feast. From traditional classically spiced ales to hop-forward offerings, check out these ten holiday beers to stock up on this season and start planning out this year’s holiday menu.

Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA

Sierra Nevada’s beloved holiday ale boasts roots that date back to 1981 when the American-style IPA was first brewed. For a beer that celebrates tradition, it’s anything but traditional. Made with fresh hops, this holiday ale is citrusy and piney and pairs nicely with some of the main dishes on your holiday table, proving that holiday-inspired beers are not strictly dark and spicy.

ABV: 6.8 percent
Pair it With: With that beautiful and slightly fatty roasted turkey on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table.

Ninkasi Brewing Company Sleigh’r

Winning at the game of naming beers, Sleigh’r is Oregon-based Ninkasi Brewing Company’s take on a holiday-inspired brew. Anchored with deep toasted flavors from a combination of roasted barley and chocolate malts, this Winter Ale achieves some serious balance with the addition of Nugget hops that add a pleasant bitterness to the crisp ale.

ABV: 7.2 percent
Pair it With: Sweet potatoes or rich chocolate desserts.

Port Brewing Company Santa’s Little Helper

One sip of Port Brewing Company’s Santa’s Little Helper, and you’ll have cheeks that rival Santa’s rosy glow. At 10 percent ABV, this Imperial Stout is a whopper. Brimming with warming boozy notes and a combination of rich dark cocoa and roasty coffee flavors, this holiday brew can be counted on to get the conversation started at the dinner table.

ABV: 10 percent
Pair it With: Sugar cookies and uncomfortable family dinners.

Boulevard Brewing Company Nutcracker Winter Warmer Ale

The Nutcracker Winter Warmer is a hearty beer that can hold up to hearty dishes, like rich mashed potatoes, wild game entrees and thick caramel or chocolate treats. With a spice-forward profile rounded out with floral notes, the Winter Warmer’s big flavors will cut through and complement a good number of dishes on your festive holiday table.

ABV: 7.8 percent
Pair it With: Carmel dishes, rich chocolate dessert, wild game.

Upslope Brewing Company Christmas Ale

Cracking open a can of Upslope’s Christmas Ale is like cracking open a can of Christmas morning, thanks to a pungent spicy aroma created from an Abbey Ale Yeast that wafts up to meet your nose upon opening. A rich malty sweetness and subtle notes of dried fruit balance out the spicy notes in this beer, making it an excellent, highly pairable beer for your dinner table.

ABV: 8.2 percent
Pair it With: Chestnuts on an open fire and Christmas morning activities.

Southern Tier Brewing Company Salted Caramel Stout

If you’ve ever uttered the phrase “this beer is too sweet for me,” Souther Tier’s Salted Caramel Stout might not be for you, and that’s okay, because that means there’s more for me. This Imperial Milk Stout is the epitome of a dessert beer with it’s bold sweet caramel and toffee flavors softened slightly by the addition of Himalayan pink salt. Don’t bother baking this year. Just serve this beer instead.

ABV: 10 percent
Pair it With: A rich figgy pudding or serve it on its own.

Deschutes Brewery Jubelale

It just isn’t the holidays until someone breaks open a six pack of Deschutes Brewery’s Jubelale. This craft beer is synonymous with the holiday season for craft beer lovers, and rightfully so. This winter ale is oozing with warm spice notes, hints of toffee and cocoa and dried fruit crafted from a combination of Bravo, Cascade, Delta, US Tettnang, and East Kent Goldings hops.

ABV: 6.7 percent
Pair it With: A sweet fruit-forward dessert, outdoor winter activities, and that sweet itchy sweater your mom bought you.

Rogue Ales & Spirits Santa’s Private Reserve Ale

Forget the delicate blend of spices and roasted malts, Rogue doesn’t have time for that. Instead, they’ve created the mother of all holiday beers in true Rogue fashion — by brewing up a Belgian Strong Ale that even the real Santa has endorsed. What makes this complex beer a lovely option for the holiday table is the beautiful cherries and raspberries that combine with sweet Belgian candi sugar to create a delicious slightly sweet, slightly tart, full-flavored beer.

ABV: 7.8 percent
Pair it With: Those healthy brussel sprouts that you loaded up with chunks of crispy bacon.

Alaskan Brewing Co. Winter Ale

When it comes to holiday beers, it doesn’t get more classic than Alaskan Brewing Company’s Winter Ale. This beer has been a staple during the holidays since 2000. An English Olde Ale, Alaskan’s Winter Ale is malt-forward and made with spruce tips which gives this traditional holiday ale nice crisp warming flavors to enjoy around the table.

ABV: 6.4 percent
Pair it With: Your main dish if it’s a roasted turkey, lamb or goose, or serve it alongside a warm apple pie.

New Belgium Accumulation

If heavy porters and Imperial Stouts aren’t quite your thing, grab a sixer of New Belgium’s Accumulation White IPA. At 55 IBUs, the strong blend of Centennial, Nugget, Mosaic and Amarillo hops in this bitter IPA is rounded out with a bright and fruity ale yeast and wheat malts. This light-bodied flavorful brew is a great option if your holiday table is filled with hop-heads.

ABV: 6.2 percent
Pair it With: Oysters. Pairing this beer with briny seafood is like squeezing fresh lemon to bring out the full flavors in the dish.

5 Colorado Beers For Your Holiday Table

Steve Kurowski, operations manager of the Colorado Brewers Guild, shares his favorite local brews for holiday sipping.

’Tis the season to gather around the table and celebrate with delicious food—and more importantly—great libations. In the sudsy state of Colorado, craft beer is already a holiday menu staple, but with approximately 300 local craft breweries making exceptional beers, how do you choose which ones to serve? We caught up with Colorado Brewers Guild operations manager and craft beer expert Steve Kurowski for his top picks.

Featherweight Pale Ale

Cannonball Creek Brewing Company

“No, this is not a holiday beer, or even a seasonal beer. It’s a clean, balanced craft beer with a low ABV percentage, and it just might be my favorite beer to drink all day long—which is something that happens around the holidays. You can’t buy it in a liquor store, though; you have to visit the Cannonball Creek tap-room in Golden and fill your growlers, each and every one of them.” 393 N. Washington Ave., Golden, 303-278-0111

Dunwich Robust Porter

Trve Brewing Co.

“Trve is known for brewing super creative and damn tasty beers using mixed cultures, farm-sourced fruit, and using wooden barrels to ferment a handful of beers. Each year around this time, they tap this beauty, one of the smoothest, easiest drinking porters I’ve ever had. Again, the only place to get it is at Trve’s Broadway tasting room, so don’t forget your growler.” 227 Broadway, #101, 303-351-1021

Hibernation English-Style Old Ale

Great Divide Brewing Company

“This beer has been around for as long as I can remember and has been winning medals since the ‘90s. Yes, I said the ‘90s. And every single year, this beer is reliably delicious. Great Divide has darn near perfected the dry-hopped, English-style, old ale over the years.” 2201 Arapahoe St.; 1812 35th St., 303-296-9460

Motif

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

“Motif is a take on a Belgian Dark Strong (nine percent ABV), fermented with the brewery’s mixed culture of wild yeast and bacteria in large oak foeders (barrels). This complex beer will pair well with any holiday meal. Motif is also perfect for aging, and will make a great addition to your beer cellar as well as the holiday table. You can buy the 2015 version of this beer at the Crooked Stave Tasting Room at the Source.” 3350 Brighton Blvd., 720-550-8860

Isolation Ale

Odell Brewing Company

“If there was such a thing as a “comfort beer,” this classic would be it for me. Isolation warms me with roasted malty flavors and has a beautiful mahogany color that makes it look as beautiful as it tastes. One of Doug Odell’s earliest seasonal recipes, this beer has become a staple for many Colorado craft beer lovers.” 800 E. Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins, 970-478-9070

TIPS & RECIPES FOR INFUSING BEER INTO YOUR THANKSGIVING MENU

It seems like just yesterday we were all throwing back a cold one on our favorite local taproom patio to help quench our thirst on a hot summer day. But there’s no denying that the holiday season is upon us—and first up—is the holiday that the makers of stretchy pants live for: Thanksgiving. If you’ve been tasked with contributing to this year’s Thanksgiving feast, but want to incorporate your love for some awesome craft beer into your dining menu—then we’ve got you covered. According to Julia Herz, craft beer program director for the Brewers Association and the co-author of Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros,Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to experiment with cooking with beer. If you’re unsure of where to start when planning craft beer-inspired Thanksgiving dishes, Herz recommends starting with a Tripel.

“A well-made tripel can handle all the aspects of the big dinner, from the most delicate selections to the big, bold side dishes. The high carbonation has a way of making the whole meal seem lighter and brighter.”

Take a page from Herz’s book for more tips on cooking with beer for your first Thanksgiving feast, but if you already consider yourself a semi-pro at cooking with beer, or you’re just feeling adventurous, then check out these recipes for Thanksgiving dishes made with beer from chefs at breweries and brewpubs around the country that cook with beer everyday.

And be sure to remember these easy tips from Ian Clark, co-founder and beer chef at BRU Handbuilt Ales & Eats when preparing the big meal:

• Always be careful with hoppy beers. They’re delicious to drink, but not always good for cooking with.
• In general, malty beers are better to use for cooking.
• When reducing beer, be very slow about it and don’t over-reduce.
• Belgian-stye beers can add a nice complexity since the beers are yeast-driven and tend to translate nicely into food.

Cheers to you and yours on this upcoming Turkey Day, and may the beer and cooking gods be forever in your favor.

Freckle Belly Marinated Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
By Chef Jennifer Deweese — Back Forty Beer Company

2 pounds of large, deveined, tail-on shrimp
1 pound of bacon
12 ounces of Freckle Belly IPA
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
BBQ sauce and additional Freckle Belly IPA

• Marinate shrimp 45-60 minutes in Freckle Belly IPA, with salt and pepper.
• Remove from marinade.
• Wrap each shrimp in a half piece of bacon, making sure to fully cover shrimp, and secure on a skewer or use toothpicks.
• Back at 450F for 10-15 minutes, until bacon is done.
• Thin out your favorite BBQ sauce with about 1/4 cup of Freckle Belly IPA in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Brush shrimp at the end of cooking time and again when removed from oven.
• Enjoy hot or at room temperature with a refreshing Freckle Belly IPA!

Dale’s Pale Ale Deep Fried Turkey
By Chef Jason Rogers — Executive Chef of Oskar Blues Fooderies

¼ cup of chopped garlic

¼ cup of diced onion

¼ cup of Dale’s Hot Sauce

¼ cup of worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of black pepper

½ gallon of ice

4 cups of water

2 cans of Dale’s Pale Ale

½ cup Cajun spice

1 cup of salt

2 bay leaves

12-15 lbs turkey

3 gallons of fryer oil or duck fat

• In a large stock pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the garlic, onion, salt, cajun spice, hot sauce, worcestershire, black pepper, and bay leaves.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let it cool to 120 degrees or less and add beer and ice.
• Once brine has reached 41 degrees, place raw turkey in the pot or a container that will fully submerge the bird.
• Brine for 12-48 hours.
• Remove from brine and let the bird sit out for 2 hours.
• Heat oil to 350 and slowly place the turkey into the oil until fully submerged.
• Cook for approximately 3 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

TIP: The turkey will “carry over cook” so pulling it at about 160 is usually good because it will reach 165 within the next few minutes outside of the fryer.

Let the bird cool down and rest for about 20 minutes and serve!

Wood Roasted Blue Oyster Mushrooms with Brown Ale Broiled Chestnuts, Chervil, Quick-Pickled Shallots and Crispy Prosciutto

By Chef Ian Clark — Beer Chef/Founder of BRU Handbuilt Ales & Eats

Serves 6-8

2-2.5 lbs of Blue Oyster Mushrooms (any wild mushrooms will work)

1 ounce Fresh Chervil

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Pale Ale Vinaigrette (See Recipe Below)

Quick-Pickled Shallots (See Recipe Below)

Boiled Chestnuts (See Recipe Below)

12 slices thinly sliced prosciutto

Boiled Chestnuts

1/2 lb shelled chestnuts

1 cup Brown Ale (BRU’s Obitus Americans Brown Ale works great)

1 cup water

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon of fennel seed

salt, to taste

First, lightly toast the chestnuts. Then combine all ingredients and slowly simmer until the chestnuts are soft. Pull about a 1/2 cup out and pulse the rest in a robo coupe until pureed. Season with salt.

Pale Ale Vinaigrette

1/4 cup pale ale (we love Belux Belgian Pale Ale, make sure it isn’t very hoppy)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 small garlic clove

1 teaspoon small diced shallot

1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

salt, to taste

Combine vinegar, pale ale, shallot, garlic, and mustard in a blender. Blend until smooth, while slowly drizzling in both of the oils. Fold in chopped herbs by hand, season with salt.

Quick-Pickled Shallots

5 large shallots, sliced thinly

1 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon toasted black pepper

1 teaspoon toasted fennel seed

1 teaspoon toasted coriander

• Bring everything except shallots to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Places shallots in a narrow container.
• Pour boiling pickling liquid over the shallot.
• Immediately cover and place in the reiterator overnight before use.
• Toss mushrooms in a small amount of salt, and some of the pale ale vinaigrette (a few ounces) and set in refrigerator for one hour.
• Place mushrooms on a baking sheet and roast on a high temp (as high as your oven goes) to cook as quickly as possible.
• Finish off broiling for a few minutes to char.
• Pull the mushrooms out and toss in a bowl with the quick-pickled shallots.
• Toss and season well with salt and pepper.
• Adjust oven to 375 degrees.
• Place prosciutto on a baking sheet with parchment paper, laying flat.
• Bake until the fat has a golden color and the meat darkens.
• Pull off sheets and place on a dry paper towel to absorb excess fat.

For plate up: Take you boiled chestnut puree and place a nice dab on each plate. With the back of your spoon, smear it across the plate. Place a large spoonful of the roasted mushrooms and pickled shallots in the “channel” created by dragging the spoon through the puree across the plate. Garnish generously with the remaining whole chestnuts, fresh chervil, and crispy prosciutto. Enjoy!

Apricot Jubelale Scones

By Chef Jill Ramseier — Deschutes Brewery Portland Pub

Makes 12 scones + 1 cup of icing

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

½ cup diced dried apricots (cranberries also are delicious in these!)

2 cup heavy cream

12 ounces bottle Deschutes Jubelale

2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl, mix together first 5 ingredients.
• Add cream and 1 cup of Jubelale.
• Stir with a wooden spoon until combined (do not over-mix or they will be tough!).
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
• While they are baking, make the icing:
  • Sift powdered sugar. Add vanilla and 4 tablespoons of Jubelale. Stir vigorously until smooth with no clumps.
• When scones have cooled for 10 minutes (it’s okay if they are still slightly warm,) drizzle with Jubelale icing.
• Enjoy!

The Bolder Life: ‘Tis the Season →

 

Tyra Sutak

Published on: December 6th, 2011

‘Tis the season for—what else—company holiday parties.

Time to spend a few unpaid hours with your co-workers. Time to drink martinis and cocktails on your boss’s tab and fill up your Facebook page with incriminating photos of your cubicle neighbors. And most of all, it’s time to build moral. Time for the boss to give an exceptionally captivating speech that will motive staff members for one more year and time for the staff to share their well thought out business models that typically involve an increase in their personal salary.

The best holiday parties involve events that shouldn’t be talked about at the water cooler, but usually end up being shared with everyone from the postal worker that delivers the mail on Monday, to your boss’s sister who heard from her sister-in-law about the office party shenanigans.

So whether you are the boss, or you got stuck planning the holiday party this year– check out the venues below. You’ll be sure to be a hit. Your co-workers will probably feel the need to buy you drinks all night and will only say good things about you at the water cooler come Monday.

Lucky Pie Pizza | 637 Front St. | Louisville
Contact: Tony Firestone | 3.666.5743 | tony@luckypiepizza.com
Event Space: Seating for up to 30 people in a semi-private lounge space
Venue Rental Fee: No rental fee, however, there is a food and beverage minimum
If your office is on the smaller side, then you should definitely check out this venue. Lucky Pie is popular restaurant located in Old Town Louisville with a stellar menu filled with hand-crafted brick oven pizzas along with plenty of other delicious offerings. Lucky Pie also boasts one of the best craft beer line-ups locally, and is the perfect place to take your crew for a good time.

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art | 1750 13th St. | Boulder
Contact: Laura Post | 3.443.2122 ext. 14 | laura@bmoca.org
Event Space: A private upstairs holds up to 150 and the entire venue holds 300 people
Venue Rental Fee: $800-$2,500 (depending on event details)
This venue is perfect for a larger office full of creative folks that dig the Pearl St. scene. This open space is ideal to set up round guest tables for a seated dinner or high top cab tables to enjoy an cocktails and hors d’oeurves at. Three Leaf Concepts, (the creators of popular Boulder restaurants such as: The Dunshanbe Teahouse, Aji andLeaf),  has exclusive catering rights on the edgy art gallery, so you know the food will be delicious.

The West End Tavern | 926 Pearl St. | Boulder
Contact: Kristin Schuette | events@thewestendtavern.com
Event Space: Private upstairs with a seating for 50 people
Venue Rental Fee: No rental fee, however, there is a food and beverage minimum
If your co-workers are always talking about the last home brew they made, and which microbrewery they visited over the weekend, then this venue is for you. With over 22 of the most popular/best craft brews that are available locally, the West End’s private bar upstairs will be packed with your co-workers all night. Get a taste of Boulder and the best of Boulder’s brewery scene in the private upstairs section of one of the Big Red F’s most popular restaurants.

Nissis | 2675 North Park Dr. | Lafayette
Contact: Marc Gitlin | 3.665.2757 | marc@nissis.com
Event Space: Can accommodate any size group with private space for 200 people
Venue Rental Fee: As small as cover for live music, as large as a fee for the entire venue rental
Employees want to have fun at their company holiday party, and what’s more fun than getting dressed up, catching some live music and dining on some a delicious a delicious menu full of every entrée item you’d want at your holiday party. And—Nissi’s has already done all of the hard work for you. Check out their selection of pre-madeevent packages here with pricing, details and all of the info that you need to make your holiday party the talk of the office park.

Left Hand Brewing | 1265 Boston Ave. | Longmont
Contact: 3.772.0258  ext. 110
Event Space: see pictures here
If you work in the Longmont area, chances are that your co-workers head over the Left Hand Brewing Tap Room after a long day at work. So what better place to get everybody together, share a beer, eat some grub and celebrate making it through another year together. Brewery tours available by request.