December 10 is National Lager Day in the U.S., so naturally today’s Advent beer selection is a lager suitable for the season! August Schell Brewing of New Ulm, Minnesota, AKA Schell’s Beer, releases its annual Snowstorm to celebrate the start of winter, and this year’s Snowstorm is brewed as a Mahogany Lager—just the beer to open today.

Every Midwesterner knows, no two Snowstorms are alike, so we change it up every year because it showcases our ability to adapt to the times. Back in the olden days, it was no small feat to take our beer by wagon to the local establishments, especially in the dead of winter. We had to find inventive ways to make sure the beer arrived, and our patrons didn’t run the well dry. This meant long hauls and even leaving beer unattended at the bottom of the hills when it was too heavy for the horses to make it up in one trip.

This year’s Snowstorm is a menagerie of specialty grains with notes of sweet bread and spice. It smells of rich mahogany, and is best enjoyed while surrounded by many leather-bound books.

Schell’s was founded in 1860 and is the second-oldest family-owned brewery in America; as befitting its roots, the brewery focuses largely on lagers and German brewing traditions. The company doesn’t entirely confine itself to lagers, of course; the styles for Snowstorm have varied widely over the years (28 years’ worth!), and you can view each year’s iteration of Snowstorm on the website. They range from lagers to Belgian styles to weizens, brown ales, and more.

For this year, Snowstorm Mahogany Lager is 6.7% ABV with 25 IBUs. It’s what you’ll want in your glass as the snow is falling and the fire is crackling.

Happy National Lager Day!

Find Schell’s Snowstorm on:

• Schell’s Beer Locator
• Untappd
• BeerAdvocate
• Facebook

Image credits: Schell’s Facebook page