My latest beer article for The Bulletin came out on Sunday, in which I highlight Sno’d In Winter IPA from Bend Brewing Company. I also riff on the concept of “winter IPA” as a style which I’m going to run with.

You may be thinking, what is a winter IPA? There is no one answer; it could feature a rich, sweet malt body, or emphasize piney, resinous hops reminiscent of pine or fir trees, or it could be an IPA with botanicals or spices added, such as spruce tips or holiday spices.

It could also simply be a solid, hoppy IPA released only in the winter months. Such is the case with Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s Celebration Ale, widely considered to be the original winter IPA. First brewed in 1981, Celebration is also largely credited as being the template for modern American IPAs.

[BBC Head Brewer Zach] Beckwith appreciates Celebration, but did not model Sno’d In on it. “Whereas Celebration has that old school caramel malt character, we wanted to build malt complexity without the cloying caramel character that tends to mute hop flavor,” he said.

It’s a good beer, worth seeking out. The release party is this Saturday, the 7th, starting at 4:30pm at the brewpub, but the beer is already available now.

Also disclosure, Beckwith provided me with a four-pack of cans to review for the article.