Yep, I’m posting a bunch of Christmas and winter themed beer reviews in the middle of summer—why not? We’re already seeing fall-themed beers becoming available and it’s only early August, so let’s start dreaming about Christmas beers while we’re at it!

I’ve got notes and pictures from several of these beers I enjoyed over the holidays last year, and all but the Rogue brew should be returning later this year so you can get a start on deciding what to drink.

And yes, it actually is the time of year when I start thinking about this season’s Beer Advent Calendar, so let’s get into the spirit and go!

Rogue Ales Santa’s Private Reserve 2021 – Kringle Krusher

Each year for the past several years, Rogue has changed up the recipe for Santa’s Private Reserve, and for 2021 the “Kringle Krusher” variant was inspired by a holiday treat, rum balls. Here’s the description I pulled from Untappd:

Ale with natural vanilla flavors aged on rum oak barrel chips.
When Santa caught Krampus stealing his beloved rum balls he offered Krampus a choice: either give them back, or wrestle for ’em. Krampus, blinded by the allure of the delicious sweets, chose to face Santa in the ring. A poor choice, as not even a full minute into the fight, Santa knocked Krampus down and landed a devastating elbow drop. Krampus, writhing in pain, conceded the match and handed over the rum balls. The elbow drop, forever known as the Kringle Krusher, and Santa’s love for the confection are the inspiration for this year’s Santa’s Private Reserve. Enjoy.

It was 8.3% ABV with 33 IBUs.

Appearance: Looks like cola, reddish-brown, with a creamy tan head.

Smell: Touch of vanilla and sassafras, and a bit of cough syrup. Definitely some oakiness but no “rum” that I can detect… there are hints of roasty malts and some brown sugar though.

Taste: Big oak flavor with some of that (dark) rum flavor coming out here, with a bit of bitters. There’s some licorice root, bitter coffee, cocoa/baking chocolate, lots of wood. Vanilla but it’s kind of bitter, like the seed pod without the seed perhaps? There’s also a hint of something medicinal, like wormwood maybe.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a roast and lingering bitterness that’s bordering on astringent.

Overall: It’s okay, but I don’t get “rum balls” as the oak seems to take over.

Cascade Lakes Brewing Slippery Slope Winter Ale

Slippery Slope is Cascade Lakes’ seasonal winter favorite, and is something akin to a “winter brown ale” (by my reckoning, nothing official). It’s 6.4% ABV with 30 IBUs, and the description reads:

Our full-bodied winter ale uses an intricate blend of malts with a generous Mosaic and Cascade dry-hop to produce a well-balanced, rich seasonal ale with hints of roast and chocolate. Whether your slippery slope is a mountain or a sidewalk, this ale makes an excellent companion.

The grain bill includes 2-row, wheat, crystal, chocolate wheat, and honey malts.

Appearance: Dark brown, almost black, with an ample tan head that’s lacy and creamy.

Smell: Nutty with browned (burnt) toast and a touch of medium-roast coffee beans. Bready, bread crust, with a hint of char. Malts are mellow and warming; no hops to speak of.

Taste: Roasty, toasty, and dry, a bit of a cross between a brown and and a schwarzbier. Roasted nuts, some unsweetened baking chocolate, French roast coffee. Hops are there for balance but contribute to real flavor points. Clean fermentation profile.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a nicely dry finish, smooth.

Overall: Almost a porter but cleaner, a bit lager-like with good roast notes.

Sunriver Brewing Shred Head Winter Ale

Sunriver’s winter brew goes for the classic styling of an English winter warmer, while embracing the also-classic American C hops: Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade.

Brewed once a year, Shred is a traditional UK style winter warmer. A blend of pale, crystal and black barley creates a robust malt character. Classic Pacific Northwest hop varieties give the brew floral, citrus and piney finish.

It’s fairly hefty at 7% ABV and 50 IBUs, yet is really nicely drinkable.

Appearance: Amber-brown color with copper highlights. Light tan, creamy head.

Smell: Brown sugar malts and resiny hops that remind me a bit of winter pine with some orange rind. Caramelized bready notes and pine boughs.

Taste: Nutty rich caramel malts with a warming note of alcohol that blends nicely with the toasted bread and resiny hops—goes a bit floral all together. Spiciness from the hops that almost seem rye-like with the darker malts. There’s a warming essence to it.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, clean and dry finish, mildly warming.

Overall: Really tasty and it feels like a winter tipple, with great balance and drinkability.

Silver City Brewery Wonderland Winter Lager

You don’t seem to see many winter lagers, but Bremerton, Washington’s Silver City Brewery offers one with its Wonderland. With a base of pilsner malt and a hop bill of German Hersbrucker, Nugget, and Saaz hops, not to mention northwest pale, Munich, caramel, chocolate, and carafa malts, this is brewed in the style of what I’d expect to see in Germany for their Weihnachtsbier lagers.

The description says:

Frightful weather is no match for Wonderland. A blend of five different malts lend a deep rich color & mild roast character refined by five weeks of lagering at near freezing temperature.

It’s 7% ABV with 22 IBUs.

Appearance: Nutty amber brown color, nicely clear, bronze highlights. Off-white to light-tan head.

Smell: Malty with light caramel, nutty with some nut shell, subtle notes of dried fruits—prunes, golden raisins, currants. Low hops, floral and earthy-spicy. Clean fermentation profile.

Taste: Rich maltiness with a nice grainy spice to it, hinting at roast, with dark bread crust, hints of chocolate and rye. Some alcohol notes, warming and floral (rose). There’s a balancing hop bitterness that’s clean and enhances the spice. Robust without being heavy.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, smooth and clean lager profile, with a lingering maltiness.

Overall: Tasty! Enjoyable winter beer.

Silver City Brewery Old Scrooge Christmas Ale

Christmas barleywine? Yes please! Barleywine is one of my favorites styles to begin with, so brew one up for the holidays and it’s pretty much a guarantee that I’ll drink it. Here’s the brewery’s description:

Our take on the classic, English-style Barleywine. It’s a bit different than the American-style Barleywine, as it is more malt-forward, and less hop-forward.

Intriguing notes of apple, cherry and apricot abound from the long boil time, cool fermentation and extended aging of this dark, malty ale. Celebrate this year’s release & save some for next, as this beer matures wonderfully when cellared.

The notes I have (from the label?) say it was 8.5% ABV with 26 IBUs, while the website says it has 60 IBUs. On Untappd, the bourbon barrel aged version is listed with 26 IBUs, so I must have written down the wrong one.

Appearance: Dark copper color, almost like brown bottle glass, with moderate clarity. Creamy tan head.

Smell: Fruitcake; dried fruits (cherries, apricots), with a rich maltiness that’s got a touch of molasses and is really bready. Touch of spice, a bit rye-like, with hints of leather, tobacco.

Taste: Malty and sweet, rich with brown sugar and raisins, a light kiss of alcohol (slightly perfumey). A candy note, that’s kind of a general candied toffee/sugar character, tasty and fits with the flavor profile, with caramel, maple sugar, toasted sweet rolls.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body, sweet and rich with a pleasant malt aftertaste.

Overall: Quite tasty, very rich, enjoying this.