Winter Spiced Beers
It's wintertime in San Diego–so the weather is still pretty great, but I also get to have seasonal beers for a couple of months. We don't discriminate against winter warmers out here! I think some of you out there might laugh at the notion of needing any extra warmth in San Diego, but we like to stay as comfortable as we can over here. So what if it's only 65°F and sunny? I'm getting into the spirit of the season, and that means winter spiced beers!
The Beers of Christmas Past
I thought back to some of my first and favorite beers in this broadly defined category. In the grand scheme of beer history, I'll give a quick shout to the time of "Jul" (or "Yule," but I've grown partial to the soft 'J' as someone named Jorge) when brewing beers for the season was required by Gulathing law. From there we can jump forward to the near-present day (December 2025) and observe a moment of silence for the legacy of Anchor Christmas Ale. Their annual ale shaped the palates of a generation.
Beer heroes and villains alike can come together over the winter season and share a pint. Sometimes our archnemesis is a distant relative we only see once or twice a year. The remedy may be found in this bit of wisdom from an infamous Christmas villain, Ebenezer Scrooge. "In things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count 'em up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune" (Dickens 26). So if we cellar our precious beers of Christmases old, consider them priceless. Let this be the year we indulge our nemesis and neighbor alike as our beer flows freely!
The Beers of Christmas Present
So perhaps I tricked you by titling this "Winter Spiced Beers." I think many styles have a place at the table during the holiday season. Baltic Porters, Belgian Dark Strongs, and Barleywines all feel so appropriate. I'm not about to get too picky with what qualifies as a winter beer and what doesn't. If we wanted to get specific, we could always refer to something like the BJCP's (Beer Judge Certification Program) Style Guidelines and find Spiced Beer in section 30.
Spiced beers feel festive! They evoke warmth and comfort with their familiar bouquets. One of my very favorite beers is one of the early iterations of Stone Brewing's Xocoveza. This rich, velvety stout is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee, cacao, vanilla, and even pasilla peppers. Over a decade past its original release, this beer has become nostalgic for me now.
More recently, I had myself a pint of a holiday cask ale. It was a real treat and here in San Diego, no less! Barley & Sword Brewing Company is a local brewery that rotates its cask ales frequently. I snuck in as soon as I was able to try the freshly casked Yule Tidings. The rich malt character, juniper, and other mulled spices in the beer make it a true winter warmer. Drinking local really feels like it's in the spirit of the season.
The Beers of Christmas Future
I don't want to get too caught up in the distant future, since holiday beers feel best enjoyed in the present. Though I will admit I've recently decided to drink more doppelbock.
There are those who try and pull the strings of fate–plotting our demise. Some even attempt to keep us from drinking this underrepresented beer style at all! Despite what you might have heard, you can actually go into any bottle shop and buy a doppelbock right now. Yes, it's true: you can walk in, buy the beer, and walk out! No one will stop you.
But don't let me tell you how to drink your beer. I am a villain, after all!
Thanks for reading the blog! You should check out some of my other articles as well. I write about lots of different food, beverage and sensory topics.
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My Origin Story: Villain Blog Issue 001
