Make Your Holiday Season Merrier

By Kristin Owens

‘Tis the season for extended family, parties and chillier temps. Lucky for us, Colorado has plenty of winter warmers with higher alcohol percentages, bold flavors and dark hues – perfect for mitigating holiday stresses. Available now (but with limited production), these seasonals will kick fall’s pumpkin spice to the curb ... just as some of you fantasize doing that to your in-laws. C’mon, embrace the urge to eat, drink and be merry.

It’s the holidays!

Coffee Baltic Porter

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Fort Collins & Denver

As the desiccated turkey carcass lies in its final repose and Black Friday ads cover napping family members on the couch, consider a little something special just for you. This smooth porter uses locally sourced Method Roasters coffee beans to help keep hosting responsibilities humming. Give thanks for this well-balanced beer with chocolate, cocoa and dark fruit notes. If you can’t escape to either of their two tap rooms, pick up a 6-pack at the local liquor store. Plus, it’s perfect with pie.

Hibernation

Great Divide Brewing, Denver

No one likes to hang holiday lights balanced precariously on a frozen ladder – at least not without a reward. Afterwards settle by the cozy fireplace with a snuggly blanket and this English-style old ale. A rich maltiness combined with chocolate, gingerbread, toast and sweet coffee will swaddle you in comfort and warm the chill from your bones. Finally, a complex beer for a complex task. Thank goodness it comes in both cans and kegs.

Mountain Man

Verboten Brewing & Barrel Project, Loveland

A seasonal favorite, this Strong Scottish Ale makes its annual appearance in December, just in time to cushion stressful family visits. It’s aged in wood from local distilleries Axe and the Oak, and Feisty Spirits, giving it a big ol’ Colorado hug. At a whopping 12 percent ABV, and tasting like vanilla, molasses and bourbon, it’ll be all smiles around the politically charged dining table. Bring a few bottles as gifts and elevate your status to “the favorite.”

Oil Man

Elevation Beer Co., Poncha Springs

Black as coal and your uncle’s holiday soul, this imperial stout has a robust flavor profile. The chocolate head is a give-away; expect lovely layers of bourbon enhancing the malt-forward mouthfeel. This popular brew is part of Elevation’s barrel-aged series, but with a limited run of 140 cases in 750 milliliter bottles, sharing is extremely optional. It’s guaranteed to soften the holiday blues – or your ego while wearing grandma’s handknitted sweater.

Wake Up Dead Nitro

Left Hand Brewing, Longmont

Too many parties? Feeling a little spent? Relax. Lounge in your PJs and binge watch that series hibernating in “saved” for the past year. This canned imperial stout has dark, dried fruits and licorice with grounding coffee notes. The added nitro gives it a velvety mouthfeel for a super smooth finish. It’s aged for months, which is roughly how long it’ll take to pay off your holiday credit card debt. But at 10.2 percent ABV, you won’t care.

Sweater Party

Avery Brewing, Boulder

It’s time for the ugly-sweater party your friends are insisting you host. So, you deserve some liquid compensation. At a balmy 8 percent ABV, Avery’s Sweater Party is the perfect brew to turn that frown upside down. It’s packed with specialty malts and mulling spices, including zesty holiday favorites such as cinnamon, orange peel, allspice, clove, and ginger. On the upside, your now rosy cheeks complement that flamboyant red sweater.

Isolation Ale

Odell Brewing, Fort Collins

For you Grinch types, sometimes the best thing for Christmas is to be isolated. Save your family the grumbles and coal, and embrace your inner Scrooge, all while pounding a few Isolation Ales. The sweet-caramel malt of this ale is balanced by a subtle crisp hop finish, perfect for bringing a little cheer to your heart, albeit two sizes two small.

Euphoria Pale Ale

Ska Brewing, Durango

Euphoria! You know, that feeling you experience when you return to your childhood home for the holidays. All is good in the world, a Charlie Brown Christmas is a ringin’, the fireplace is ablaze and good tidings are abuzz. Open the fully stocked fridge and grasp your local craft favorite, in this case, a Euphoria Pale Ale. A huge malt profile with ample caramel notes, gives this winter seasonal brew a plentiful 6.2 percent ABV backbone.

Contributor Kristin Owens passed the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Introductory Examination and travels the world looking for a good $10 bottle of wine. She’s a full-time writer based in Fort Collins.