Your Christmas Beer Guide
Santa will deliver Craft Beer to all the good boys and girls… on skis. It has been written.
‘Tis the Season to be Merry… or so it goes. Christmas time like any holiday brings family and friends together and merriment usually follows. Whether that includes adult beverages or just singing around the Christmas tree… is up to you and yours. Let me guide you through this time of year and what you should know when heading towards the liquor or beer store to make those Craft Beer buying decisions.
One thing I really want to start off with is freshness. Beer does have an optimum shelf life and the style of beer does play a part in that. Stouts and higher ABV beers have a much longer optimum shelf life than say… a Pilsner. For the lighter beers such as IPAs, Lagers, Pilsners, Saisons and the like… I always go for the two month window. This may be conservative because some might say two to four months but if you really want the best beer possible… aim for two months or less. Fresh is fresh after all.
The good thing about the Craft Beer revolution is that breweries know that this matters and if they are really good… they will be actively watching their beers in their markets. Which means that they will not allow old beers to exist on shelves. Sadly though… things slip through cracks and that is why it is good to be proactive and take a second to actually pick up the beer you are thinking about getting and checking for a ‘Born On Date’ or a “Best By Date”. I will say that there is a good chance of being able to find one. Some of the bigger beer companies complicate this by coding their dates with… a code. This means that you have to know what the code is to figure out exactly what the born on date actually is… which really isn’t fun to do. All I have to say to that is… drink local.
Since this is the Holiday season… I’m going to just take a wild guess and say that beer and liquor stores are going to be swamped with people. If they weren’t crazy busy… I would say ask someone that works there and ask for a recommendation for the style of beer you are looking for that is hot off the delivery truck. You may get lucky and be at a store that isn’t busy and you may get to ask. But sadly… it might be jam packed full of people and then you are on your own. In that case… try to find the born on date and if all else fails… look for the beers that are really flying off the shelf and those might be your best bet for fresh beer. Good luck… I believe in you.
It’s the season for Dark beers!
Let's switch to what you should buy! Whether this is for yourself or your family… this time of year always brings out some fun new stuff to try. Winter IPAs, Black IPAs, Porters, Stouts and more always make an appearance around Winter time and it’s a great time to try new beers. Darker beers are perfect for the weather and since we are talking about Craft Beer… darker doesn’t necessarily mean a higher ABV beer. Dark Lagers are making a comeback and if you are looking for an easy drinking beer… this style may just surprise you. You can expect roasty coffee notes but… the style is very versatile and I would highly recommend checking it out.
Holidays really do bring family and friends together and that unto itself brings new possibilities. Which means… introducing people to the marvelous world of Craft Beer. Even to this day… I can bet you that there are still people out there that haven’t really tasted what Craft Beer can really do. So when you are at the beer or liquor store… take a look at getting some Sour beers or some not-piney and low ABV… Hazy IPAs. These will be great introductory beers that will possibly get more people interested in Craft Beer. The more the merrier… am I right?
This time of year should be filled with joy and happiness and having the perfect beverage in your hand when you are around friends and family? It will automatically make everything better.
