December 6 is St. Nicholas Day, and this year it happens to be the final night of Hanukkah as well—but neither of these holidays are inspirations for today’s Advent beer pick. Instead, we look to a different event on this date: the broadcast premier of the TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which first aired in 1964. One of the major characters in the special is the Abominable Snow Monster, so naturally the beer for today is Abominable Winter Ale from Portland, Oregon’s Hopworks Urban Brewery.

Abominable is essentially a winter red ale, brewed with caramelly crystal malts and a bit of black malt to give it a deep amber-red hue, with ample hopping designed to offer up notes of pine, citrus, and spice. At 7.3% ABV and 65 IBUs, you could think of it as a winter IPA. Hopworks’ description says:

Hopworks’ seasonal favorite, Abominable is a perfect blend of caramel malts and Simcoe, Cascade, Cryo Chinook, and Centennial hops, creating a complex, spicy, and citrusy winter ale.

In Rudolph, the Abominable Snow Monster starts out as a villain but is ultimately reformed after being defeated by Yukon Cornelius and Hermey the aspiring dentist elf; if you’ve seen the TV special, you’ll know how that was accomplished. Unlike the monster, though, Abominable Winter Ale is anything but toothless!

Since 2007, Hopworks has focused on organic ingredients, sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices, and great beer. HUB earned its certification as the first B Corporation brewery in the Pacific Northwest, and is also the first Salmon-Safe Certified brewery in the world. Hopworks serves up its beer at three locations: its original Portland brewpub (the “Mothership”), a brewpub across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, and the Portland Airport.

Abominable Winter Ale has been HUB’s winter seasonal since the beginning, and is one to look forward to every year. It goes particularly well with an annual rewatching of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Find Hopworks Urban Brewery Abominable Winter Ale on:

• Untappd
• BeerAdvocate
• RateBeer
• Facebook

Image credits: Hopworks’ website, media imagery.