The 10 Best Winter Beers to Drink in 2025
The Best Beers to Drink in Winter
Brewing has historically been a specialty of regions where winters are harsh and grains are grown, like Germany and the British Isles. For centuries, brewers have made seasonal beers for winter that are fuller in body and maltier than standard styles.
Some are festively spiced, others are simply turbocharged versions of year-round recipes. But all feature that extra richness of texture that comes with heaping helpings of barley malt.
Winter warmers have less water in the mix, delivering more nutrition and higher alcohol content than typical summer quenchers.
To best banish winter’s chill, serve GAYOT’s Best Winter Beers no colder than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which is also ideal for showcasing their delicious flavors. Serving “ice cold” suppresses flavor; a good strategy only if you’re not keen to really “taste” your beer.
> The selections are presented in alphabetical order.
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1. Abita Mardi Gras Bock
Abita Brewing Company’s first seasonal brew, Abita Bock is available January through March.
Origin: Covington, LA, USA
Beer type: Bock
Price: $8.99 for six-pack 12 oz
ABV: 6.5%
Brewed by: Abita Brewing Company
Abita uses mild and aromatic Perle hops and British pale and caramel malts to achieve its mild and toasty flavor. Even though the makers of Abita call this beer a simple Bock, it resembles a German Maibock in its high malt content, full body and slightly higher alcohol content. This beer is very popular in Louisiana, especially during Mardi Gras season.
2. Affligem Noël Christmas Ale
This reddish amber ale, spiced with sweet orange peels, anise and caraway, also delivers flavors of toasted malt and dark fruits such as prune and cherry.
Origin: Opwijk, Belgium
Beer type: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Price: $13 for 750 ml
ABV: 9%
Brewed by: Affligem
An aroma of cocoa, cinnamon and clove adds to the celebratory vibe. Note that the flavors will intensify as this beer warms, so take your time to enjoy the evolving flavors as you sip. Given the strong ale’s high carbonation, it’s best to drink it from a goblet-style glass. The bulbous shape will help trap the scent and flavors while maintaining a lively head.
3. AleSmith Speedway Stout Affogato Edition
San Diego’s AleSmith Brewing, founded in 1995, has gained great acclaim over the years for its crowd-pleasing Speedway Stout.
Origin: San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Beer type: Imperial Stout
Price: $20 for 16 oz 4-pack
ABV: 12%
Brewed by: AleSmith Brewing Company
First brewed in 1997, over the years it was ramped up from 8% to its current 12% ABV and several variations with intriguing ingredients have been released. This latest version features a combination of Tahitian vanilla beans and premium espresso, with the coffee enhancing the roasted malt notes and providing a balanced and satisfying bitterness. In addition, the Tahitian vanilla beans add a hint of sweetness and a smooth, creamy texture that complements the coffee. This imperial stout should please both coffee connoisseurs and lovers of rich, roasty stouts.
4. Deschutes Jubelale
Expect an earthy aroma, nut brown hue and a comingling of West Coast hops, brown sugar, candied dark fruits, baking spices and a good dose of malty flavors.
Origin: Bend, OR, U.S.A.
Beer type: Ale
Price: $8.99 for six-pack 12 oz.
ABV: 6.7%
Brewed by: Deschutes Brewery
The very first beer to ever be bottled by the brewery, Jubelale boasts a bold 6.7 percent ABV, which will help warm you as the nippy chill of winter approaches.
READ MORE: Beer Health Benefits
5. Full Sail Brewing Company Wassail Winter Ale
Brewed by Oregon’s Full Sail Brewing Company, one of the first craft breweries in the US, this award-winning winter warmer has been ushering in the holiday season since 1988.
Origin: Hood River, OH, U.S.A.
Beer type: Ale
Price: $8 for six-pack 12 oz.
ABV: 7.2%
Brewed by: Full Sail Brewing Co.
The flavor varies slightly from year to year, with the 2016 version featuring Pacific Northwest hops with caramel and dark chocolate malts. The aroma of this dark brown ale shouts out malt with a touch of roast. The malt continues to shine in the full-bodied flavor with chocolaty notes and a balanced background of hops in the long-lasting finish, making this a beer that will appeal to both malt and hop lovers. The 7.2 percent ABV may surprise you, as this winter delight goes down quite smoothly.
6. Ommegang Abbey Ale
Brewery Ommegang is located on a 135-acre former hop farm near Cooperstown, New York, the epicenter of American hop production in the 19th century.
Origin: Cooperstown, NY, U.S.A.
Beer type: Dubbel
Price: $8 for 750 ml.
ABV: 8.2%
Brewed by: Brewery Ommegang
Typical for the farmstead style, this flagship brew pours a dark red with prevailing aromas of raisins, plums and dates. Clove, sweet malt and caramel flavors help to mask the beer’s hefty 8.2 percent ABV. Like its Belgian cousins, it boasts a generous selection of spices — in this case licorice root, star anise, orange peel, coriander and cumin. A great candidate for cellaring, this ale will develop caramel, fig and currant notes with age. Bonus: It’s available year-round.
7. Shiner Holiday Cheer
The Shiner, Texas-based Spoetzl Brewery is renowned for its Shiner Bock, and since 2010 the annual release of this seasonal Dunkelweizen has become a Shiner holiday tradition.
Origin: Shiner, TX, USA
Beer type: Dunkelweizen
Price: $11 for six-pack 12 oz
ABV: 5.4%
Brewed by: Shiner Brewery
Out just in time for the holidays, it’s a traditional Dunkelweizen, but with a twist: the additions of Texas peaches and pecan. The peaches are most prevalent in the aroma and the nuts shine through in the flavor. While it’s not overly sweet, caramelized malts give it a rich malt body and notes of vanilla adds to this beer’s dessert beer character, making it a great fit for a winter sipper.
8. Stone Xocoveza
First brewed in 2014 with San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker after his recipe was named the winner of Stone Brewing’s annual homebrew competition, this winter favorite is released every year just in time for the holidays.
Origin: Escondido, CA, U.S.A.
Beer type: Imperial Stout
Price: $17 for six-pack 12 oz
ABV: 8.1%
Brewed by: Stone Brewing Company
This chocolaty, winter-spiced 8.1% ABV Imperial Stout is a rather complex take on Mexican hot chocolate. Infused with coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and a generous amount of cocoa, there are multiple layers of flavor, with cocoa and cinnamon bursting forth upon your first sip and coffee, nutmeg and vanilla following, and heat from the peppers in the finish balanced by sweetness that manages to temper without being syrupy.
Stone Xocoveza Beer Nog | Makes: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
– 6 large eggs
– 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
– 2/3 cup granulated sugar
– 2½ cups whole milk
– 1½ cups heavy cream
– 10 oz. Stone Xocoveza
– 2 tsp ground nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
• Place the egg yolks, vanilla and ½ cup of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment.
• Beat for several minutes, until the yolks lighten up and magically double in volume.
• Add the remaining ingredients—except the egg white and the rest of the sugar—and mix until everything’s fully combined.
• Transfer the mixture to another bowl and forget about it for a bit.
• Wash the bowl and whisk, then place the egg whites in the bowl and start whisking them up.
• Slowly sprinkle in the rest of the sugar and keep whisking until thick and stiff
• Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture and chill.
When you’re ready to serve, pour the nog into stylish goblets or your favorite form of beer glass, garnish with a little more nutmeg and go spread some beery holiday cheer.
9. 21st Amendment Brewery Fireside Chat
21st Amendment Brewery opened in 2000 and is a pioneer of packaging craft beer in cans.
Origin: San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
Beer type: Ale
Price: $12 for six-pack 12 oz.
ABV: 7.9%
Brewed by: 21st Amendment Brewery
This brew, first released in 2010, was its first seasonal release in a can. The appearance is dark ruby-brown with a tan head, and its toasty malt flavor is tempered with a blend of spices and cocoa nibs that doesn’t overpower. The 7.9 percent ABV also provides warmth to your palate, allowing this winter warmer to live up to the style’s name.
Fireside Chat Holiday Drink
Video © 21st Amendment Brewery
INGREDIENTS:
– a can of Fireside Chat Winter Ale
– Brandy
– brown sugar
– simple syrup
– chocolate chips
METHOD:
• Mix all
• Garnish with brown sugar + chocolate chips
10. Two Roads Holiday Ale
To celebrate the winter season, Two Roads Brewing’s Holiday Ale is back just in time to turn up the cheer for the holidays.
Origin: Stratford, CT, U.S.A.
Beer type: Bière de Noël
Price: $14 for six-pack 12 oz.
ABV: 7.3%
Brewed by: Two Roads Brewing
It’s brewed in the little known Bière de Noël style, a subset of Bière de Garde, both of which originated on small farmhouse breweries in the north of France. Bière de Noël, which translates as “Christmas Beer,” tends to exhibit a more malty profile than a typical Bière de Garde, as this winter sipper does with predominant flavors of toasted malt joined with subtle holiday spice flavors and hops.
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