By Timothy Long

Christmas comes once a year. And when it comes, it brings good beer.

Holiday beers have been around almost as long as people have realized winter is cold and alcohol can make it warm, or at least bearable. My guess is that our ancestors figured this relationship out rather quickly.

The Vikings kicked things off with Jól ale during Yule—strong, malty brews that were basically ancient antifreeze. And they probably tasted like antifreeze. If you could still pronounce your own name after a mug or two, you probably didn’t brew it right.

Medieval Europeans picked up the tradition, brewing darker, richer ales for the winter months. Monks were especially good at it. Let’s face it, you can only do so much praying and meditating. And nothing says “silent night” like a warming ale that could knock a reindeer on its butt. The monks tossed in whatever they had around: honey, herbs, spruce tips… basically the medieval equivalent of “let’s see what’s in the pantry.”

By the 18th and 19th centuries, British brewers created “winter warmers”—beers designed to keep you cozy and maybe help you tolerate your obnoxious brother-in- law and the other uppity relatives who visited during the holidays. These weren’t heavily spiced beers. And they were just strong enough to make you forget how short the days were.

The big modern turning point for the American craft beer industry came in 1975, when Anchor Brewing released its first Anchor Christmas Ale. They changed the recipe every year, which created a yearly anxious crowd of holiday beer lovers dying for the new release. Craft brewers everywhere saw this and collectively said, “Oh, we can go wild with this,” leading to peppermint porters, gingerbread stouts, cranberry saisons, and at least one beer that tasted suspiciously like fruitcake (and possibly was fruitcake). To quote the late great Johnny Carson.

“The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”

Sadly, there will be no Anchor Steam Holiday Beer this year. Anchor Brewing Company ceased operations and its assets were liquidated in 2023. The brewery has since been purchased by Hamdi Ulukaya, the owner and CEO of Chobani. Yep, they’re now owned by a yogurt company. If this is where craft beer is headed, I pity the future.  There have been no announcements about the revival of the beer, and its future remains uncertain. It’ll probably return as a Chobani yogurt flavor. On the bright side, at least we’ll all poop better.

As alluded to earlier, holiday beers come in all shapes, sizes, and ABVs, so be careful. They can be sweet, spicy, roasty, and strong enough to make you have a conversation with the Ghost of Christmas Past. But they all carry on the same ancient tradition: giving us a delicious excuse to raise a glass, stay warm, and pretend we’re totally done with our shopping.

Here are a few of my favorite local picks to help you warm up your holidays:

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Hardywood was one of Richmond Virginia’s first craft breweries. For the holidays, they have released a Hardywood Gingerbread Stout and Hardywood Gingerbread Porter. Gingerbread Stout is a milk stout with a note of milk chocolate, vanilla, honeycomb, cinnamon, and, of course, ginger. The Gingerbread Porter is a similar beer, but with no lactose. It’s an imperial porter with chocolate, roasted malt and hints of ginger and wildflower honey. Both have an ABV of 9.2%, so tread lightly.

Atlas Brew Works

I love the fact that I can walk to Atlas Brew Works in Alexandria. For the winter they have released Slam Dunkel German-style Dark Lager. ABV 5.2%. It’s a smooth rustic ruby colored beer with a tan head. This malty lager has rich notes of toasted bread with hints of toffee and dried fruit. It’s like the ancient monks were there raiding the pantry while they brewed it.

As of the writing of this article, they are also about to release Giant Flaming Zombie Polar Bear, a winter season double IPA. I’m cautiously looking forward to trying it. Its ABV is 9.4%.

Port City Brewing Co.

Port City never disappoints. Tidings Ale is a Belgian-style Blonde brewed with local wildflower honey and Virginia grown wheat. It has gentle spiciness with coriander, cardamon, and fresh ginger.

The Tmave Pivo, a Czech dark lager, is also now available. This smooth drinking brew has roasted malt, spicy aromatic hoppiness, and a touch of caramel. ABV 4.3%. You can drink this one all day.

Throughout the holidays, Port City will be releasing the next batch of Coffee Porter series with Chesapeake Coffee Roasters, Monkspell Tripel will be returning this year, and il Palio will be released on January 2^nd to kick off the new year.

Denizens Brewing Co.

Our friends at Denizens are putting a great stout for the Holidays. Cool Breeze Stout is an English-Style Oatmeal Stout with flavors of milk chocolate and coffee, a touch of nuttiness, and a velvety mouthfeel from the oatmeal. This is a solid, basic stout with a pleasant balance of sweet and roasted notes, and a slightly bitter finish. And a low ABV of 4.5%.

Bear Chase Brewing Co.

If you’re looking for a quick holiday trip, I always recommend Bear Chase. It’s a beautiful location nestled in the mountains in Bluemont, VA. They have properties to rent for the weekend, and the view is amazing.

They’re hosting a Big Holiday Bash on December 20th featuring holiday karaoke. You can come in your Christmas pajamas or ugly sweater. They’ll be featuring a holiday beer and cider, both of which I am sure will be delicious. I’ve yet to try a beer of theirs that I did not like.

So Merry Christmas and “Hoppy” Holidays to everyone! Yeah, I said hoppy holidays. What a dad joke. I’m becoming such a dork. Cheers!!

About the Author: Timothy Long is an educator, writer, consultant, and experienced restaurant operator. Email: tlong@belmarinnovations.com. Instagram and Twitter: @wvutimmy. Blog: What is that fly doing in my soup? http://whatflyinmysoup.com

Tim’s Whiskey and Cigar Recommendations

Penelope Architect Straight Bourbon

Penelope Architect Bourbon is one of those bottles that reminds you how much fun modern bourbon blending can be. It’s finished using French oak staves selected through the “Architect” program, which gives the whiskey its name and its unmistakable character. On the nose you get vanilla, toasted marshmallow, and light citrus. It delights the palate, with honey, vanilla, light caramel, with hints of oak spice and cinnamon coming through as you drink it. The bourbon finishes with vanilla bean and gentle spices. It’s 104 proof and at $45 a bottle, it’s a steal.

CAO FASA Sol

The FASA Sol jumps out with warm, toasty flavors right from the start. Expect a hit of cinnamon, roasted almonds, and cedar wrapped in smooth, medium-bodied smoke. The OSA wrapper gives it a clean, sun-bright character, while a touch of spice. The construction is solid, burn is steady, and the flavor stays balanced from start to finish. It’s not a powerhouse, just a flavorful, easygoing smoke with just enough spice to keep you hooked. A great Christmas day cigar that will blend nicely with the Penelope Architect Bourbon you are drinking. Enjoy.

This cigar, and many other fine cigars, are available at John Crouch Tobacconist at 215 King St. in Old Town Alexandria. Mention this article and get 10% off the purchase of this month’s recommended cigar.