Great Divide "Hibernation Ale"
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American Strong Ale - Colorado / Seasonal
$2.50 / 12 oz.
8.1% ABV

This malty monster is Denver's Christmas gift to beer lovers everywhere, an epic winter seasonal brew from Great Divide Brewing Company. In the glass, Hibernation glows reddish-brown and sports a head as thick and fluffy as shearling slippers. Liberal helpings of caramel malt make this full-bodied ale as slick in the mouth as hot buttered rum. Malt aromas of milk chocolate and peanut brittle compete with a minty edge of herbal hops to saturate the senses. If you've been good boys and girls and find some Hibernation Ale in your stocking this year, take a hint from the name and set it aside. While it's a tasty treat now, a year's worth of aging (in a cool, dark place) will do this beer a world of good.

Sierra Nevada makes the country's top-selling pale ale, and has almost single-handedly sold a generation on ale over lager. Many other brewers put out a turbocharged version of their pale ale year round, often called India Pale Ale or IPA. However, Sierra Nevada dances to its own tune, waiting for the cold weather before bringing out the big gun and labeling it a Winter Ale. "Celebration Ale" has been long revered as an icon of American micro-brewing. Though it can seem downright understated next to its hyper-hopped competition, raw power hums under the hood. Hearty, grainy malt balances dulce de leche decadence, while sappy, sticky Cascade hop aromas leap from the glass. Brewed annually for more than fifteen years, this brew shows the merits of patience and experience.

Lager drinkers will barely recognize this sprightly seasonal as a member of the clan, though it delivers characteristic lager refreshment. Samuel Adams "Winter Lager" is highly unusual—a brown, spiced wheat lager. While it may not embrace tradition, the innovative recipe is oddly apt for celebrating the season. Muscular, yet lithe, this beer is highly carbonated and judiciously spiced, triggering subconscious cravings for gingerbread men and egg nog. Walnutty malt flavors are accented with subtle notes of cinnamon and orange peel as ephemeral as ghosts of Christmases past. Very much the exception to the "winter beer" rule, few seasonal brews fit as seamlessly into the beer drinker's routine as this inspired Boston brew.

Hair of the Dog "Doggie Claws"
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American Barleywine - Oregon / Seasonal
$5.00 / 12 oz.
11.5% ABV

Hair of the Dog is known for ales in the boldly-hopped West Coast style, and their holiday-themed Doggie Claws is no exception. This beefy barleywine is paler than most, a rich burnt orange, but scored high marks for flavor intensity. Practically bursting with golden fruit aromas, Doggie Claws smells like ginger marmalade and pineapple upside-down cake. Layers of green piney hops add to the beer's complexity, as well as notes of yeasty bread-pudding. Surprisingly dry for such a strong beer, Doggie Claws is nonetheless a better candidate for snifter sipping in front of the fire than pint draining at happy hour. (A considerable presence of yeast sediment argues in favor of allowing this beer to stand undisturbed for a day before careful pouring.)

Victory "Storm King"
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Imperial Stout - Pennsylvania / All-Year
$5 / 22 oz.
10% ABV

Stouts are black ales that take their distinctive coffee-like flavors from blackened barley malt. The most popular—dry Irish stouts like Guinness—are on a par with "light" beers in alcohol. However, Imperial Stouts are the pinnacle of the black beer family; strong, rich and densely malty. They take their name from historic popularity with the Russian czars and their court. Thanks to this style, "imperial" has entered the beer lexicon, implying boosted concentration, strength and sweetness. As black as espresso with a creamy café-au-lait-colored head, Victory's Imperial Stout is an American benchmark of the style. Easier to drain than its alcohol content would suggest, each sip manages to satisfy and pique the appetite at once. Decadent mocha and molasses flavors dominate, while playful fruit notes emerge in the finish, reminiscent of brandied cherries or cassis liqueur. "Storm King" is a noble choice for sipping after dinner, alone or accompanied by Roquefort cheese or a flourless chocolate cake.

Corsendonk "Christmas Ale"
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Strong Dark Abbey-style Ale - Belgium / Seasonal
$9 / 24 oz.
8.5% ABV

A handful of Belgian Trappist monasteries have preserved a medieval approach of brewing into the modern day, and have inspired brewers of "Abbey-Style" ales in Belgium and beyond.  Corsendonk is a classic example, and their seasonal Christmas Ale is a divine inspiration, one of the finest winter ales of all time.  Rich and dark-hued, this well-crafted beer is potent, but still eminently drinkable on a chilly mid-winter night.  As it pours, heady aromas of dessert spices emerge with graceful notes of floral hops, star anise and coriander.  Beers like this are heaven-sent, or as Benjamin Franklin put it, "proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

Liefman's "Glühkriek"
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Spiced Cherry Flemish Oud Bruin - Belgium / Seasonal
$10 / 12 oz.
6.5% ABV

Glühkriek sounds a little funny in English, but it tastes sublime.  "Glühwein" is the German word for mulled wine, literally "glow wine" for the way hot, spiced wine makes you feel.  "Kriek" is Flemish for cherry, and a famous Belgian style of cherry beer.  So Glühkriek is a spiced sweet-tart cherry beer designed to be served warmed in winter, like a latter-day wassail.  This rare Belgian beer is undeniably quirky; in fact, few would recognize this explosively aromatic cherry bomb as beer on first sip.  But it is undeniably delicious and tailor-made for banishing the chill of a solstice night.  If there's a beer connoisseur on your holiday gift list, or a wine drinker who needs a taste of what beer can do, a tissue-wrapped bottle of Liefman's Glühkriek is sure to surprise and delight.

Unibroue "La Fin du Monde"
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Abbey-style Tripel - Quebec / All-Year
$3 / 16 oz.
9% ABV

Unibroue, from Québec, comes remarkably close to the depth and complexity of Belgian Trappist brews, and features a far wider range of styles. While all are world-class, none have been as influential as “La Fin du Monde,” or “The End of the World.” Generally classified as an “Abbey-style Tripel,” this strong golden ale combines silky soft texture with a fierce backbone of hops. Pungent white pepper and coriander aromas rise from the fluffy cap of foam. Sweet malt and dried peach flavors are balanced by a savory component worthy of a perfectly aged gouda cheese. All are reigned in and knit together by a spicy, floral hop presence and lingering bitterness that scour the palate clean. Yum.

Sam Smith's "Winter Welcome"
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Winter Warmer Ale - England / Seasonal
$3 / 18.7 oz.
6% ABV

The Yorkshire ales of Samuel Smith are legendary, combining reverence for tradition with an uncommon dedication to quality. This beer is brewed in the Winter Warmer style; smooth, malty brews that are a touch stronger, plumper, less bitter and more caramel-scented than the typical British pale ale. "Winter Welcome" is a tawny gold, topped with a froth as white and fluffy as Santa's beard. It delivers just enough richness to soothe the wind-chapped senses, yet doesn't push intensity so far as to limit the beer's drinkability by the pint. Solidly malty, "Winter Welcome" is very dry with a hearty, multi-grain toast quality. Complex earthy aromas worthy of artisanal cheese add depth, while mineral sharpness and herbal hop twang scour the palate clean. This winter beer is a study in restraint, an impeccably balanced brew with class that needn't shout to make its message heard.

Weihenstephaner "Korbinian"
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Doppelbock Lager - Germany / All-Year
$3 / 16 oz.
7.4% ABV

Germany is a beer lover's heaven on earth, where beer is rightly recognized as a food group and brewing with anything short of pure barley malt has been outlawed since 1516. While the popular image of German beer is that of pale lager, the tradition of brewing strong "bock" beers for cold weather is robust and grows more popular every year. This strong, dark lager boasts an ebony hue, reflecting garnet red in bright light. Aromas of pecan pie and hearty trail mix provide a mouth-watering preview, while mocha and raisin flavors follow up in the finish. Remarkably dry, “Korbinian” is a rare breed among Doppelbocks, as appropriate before or during dinner as after.