Today I went with one that may not seem all that holiday-themed: Brooklyn Brewery‘s Monster Ale. This is a vintaged, limited edition barleywine that makes its appearance during the winter months.

I also like the bottle design; it reminds me of a Christmas tree ornament, all glittery silver with green. Not one I would mind finding hanging on the tree…

On BeerAdvocate it scores 85/100 with 96% thumbs-up from reviewers. Look for rich, complex flavors and a lot of alcohol—10.5% by volume.