Winter warmers

Once upon a time these heavier style American beers were only produced seasonally – now some are available all year round. David Gilbert reports

It is easy to forget that there was a time not long ago when we looked forward to the winter months for the heavyweight styles of the beer world to arrive.

The founding fathers of the craft brew movement in the United States were responsible for providing these seasonal offerings. Their vision and innovation to brew something unusually strong and challenging for wintertime was one of the precursors to the “extreme” beer movement.

Today, brewers from across the US brew double IPA, barley wine, imperial stout and old ale. These stronger styles of beer are appreciated among a large enough audience in the craft brew market to warrant year round production. The more extreme, stronger interpretations on the classic styles are now commonplace to the industry. Imperial stout and double IPA are almost as prevalent today as pale ale and pilsners were 15 years ago.

As the demand for bigger, stronger beers has expanded to year round production, it seems fitting to mention some of the beers that are still brewed annually and have remained winter classics.

Anchor Steam Brewing Co. (San Francisco, CA) was founded in 1896. Old Foghorn 8.8% was first brewed in 1975. It is the first barley wine brewed before the craft beer explosion. It stays true to the English style; Foghorn is malty and winey with honey notes and hops in the background and a touch of citrus and alcohol warmth appear on the long finish.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, CA) was founded in 1981. Its winter offerings use .....

To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue or subscribe to Beers of the World to have every issue delivered direct to your door.

By David Gilbert

Section : Beer styles

Page number : 58