Winter Brews Storm Back Into Town

To me, one of the nicest parts of the holiday season is renewing acquaintances with old friends whom I haven’t seen for, well, almost a year.

Some have bigger bodies than I remember, others smaller. Some look different on the outside, but really haven’t changed that much on the inside.

These old buddies are beers, the hearty winter beers that show up for a few months to help celebrate the holidays and warm our weary bones on nose-numbing nights.

As a group, they tend to be big, mahogany-colored brews - rich, malty, sometimes spicy, often highly hopped and almost always with an increased alcohol content. Discovering their individual differences is like unwrapping a series of small gifts.

One of my favorites, Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale, is noticeably light-bodied this year, but still has its intense, piney, hoppy, bitter finish. (When my wife scowls and starts comparing it to Dramamine, I know I’ve got a winner.)

Another regular companion, Pyramid’s Snow Cap, seems a bit bigger after appearing to lighten up a little last year. Maybe it’s just the healthy dose of English Fuggles hops (Pyramid has started listing each year’s aromatic hop variety on the label), which contribute to a long, earthy finish.

Winterbrau, a nearly black lager from Pyramid’s sister label, Thomas Kemper, comes on more roasty this time around, although the chocolate notes emerge as it warms.

Deschutes’ Jubelale boasts a bright new Latin-influenced label (there’s a new design by a different Oregon artist each year), but it’s the same beautifully balanced beer inside, its malty, caramel character embellished by a healthy hop bitterness.

Full Sail’s Wassail seems to have more of a split personality. Bottles bought at some stores are relatively smooth, with a pleasant, bitter finish; others are harsher, with a tongue-coating astringency.

Among other Oregon offerings, Rogue’s complex Mogul delivers lots of hoppy, spicy flavor (from a blend of seven hop varieties), while Portland Brewing’s Icicle Creek is relatively mild-mannered and malty, but plenty potent.

Redhook’s Winterhook, typically on the lighter end of the seasonal scale, is somewhat fuller and fruity with a dry, clean finish. (Label notes: There’s no vintage dating this year, and instead of Redhook’s traditional “best by” date, there’s now a “bottled on” date - just like its corporate big brother, Budweiser.)

Also from the Seattle side, Aviator’s Winter Flight is jet black, thick and chewy, with a slightly burnt finish. While still lacking in complexity compared to some of the others, it’s the best beer I’ve had from the Woodinville brewery.

Turning to Spokane’s draft-only breweries, Hale’s cinnamon-accented Wee Heavy is a wee bit richer and maltier this year, and a little less hoppy, while Northern Lights’ Winter Ale gets a respectable bitterness, and lots of floral, citrusy flavor and aroma, from a combination of Columbus and Cascade hops.

On the local brewpub scene, Icebreaker is an unusually big beer from the Ram’s Big Horn Brewery, flavored with honey, cinnamon, ginger and cloves; Solicitor’s Corner is pouring a sweet, strong Christmas Starr Winterfest (with a boysenberry dunkelweizen, or dark wheat beer, coming closer to Christmas); Fort Spokane’s Godzilla is considerably tamer than last year’s highly hopped version, with just enough bitterness to offset its honey notes, and Birkebeiner’s big, bold Imperial Stout should be ready any day now.

In North Idaho, look for a malty, ruby-red Winter Ale, in the English old ale style, at Sandpoint’s Pend Oreille Brewing Co. And at T.W. Fisher’s in Coeur d’Alene, along with the always popular cherry porter, there’s a spiced winter ale with spices that change with each batch (the current combination is coriander, orange and nutmeg), and an imperial stout on the way.

So, it looks like you’d better get moving. After all, there are only 14 drinking days left before Christmas.

Nothing up their sleeve

At Casey’s Pub in Post Falls, three new Falls Brewing Co. beers bring the fast-growing lineup of house lagers to a total of six.

The newcomers include a smooth Winter Wheat Hefeweizen with a hint of spice (and available flavored with raspberry, blackberry or apricot syrup); a dark, roasty Prairiesmoke Blackbier, and a well-hopped, if oddly named, Squirrel Spit. The latter will be featured along with Big Sky’s Moose Drool tomorrow night in Moose and Squirrel festivities for “Rocky and Bullwinkle” fans.

In your eyes

And over at The Viking in Spokane, if you hurry, you should be able to get a taste of the nearlegendary Alaskan Smoked Porter, a perennial favorite at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

The rich, chocolatey beer from Juneau gets its distinctive finish from malt that’s smoked over alder twigs in a neighboring salmon smokery. The bad news is the Viking only got one keg; the good news (for a few of us, anyway) is that it’s not selling very fast, so there’s probably still some left.

Southern exposure

While you’ll have to visit a specialty store to get most of the bottled holiday beers mentioned above (although I’ve spotted Wassail and Winterbrau in supermarkets), that’s just gotten a little easier for folks on Spokane’s South Hill.

As of today, the Spokane Wine Company has relocated to the new Huckleberry’s Fresh Market at Ninth and Monroe, and promises an even bigger beer selection with increased cooler space. Along with Jim’s Home Brew on North Division and Hallett Farms on East Sprague, there’s now a place with a wide beer selection on each end of town. And after all, isn’t that what civilization is all about?

, DataTimes MEMO: On Tap is a monthly feature of IN Food. Write to: On Tap, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446, fax 459-5098 or e-mail to rickb@spokesman.com