What the Brewery Says...
The beer panel wanted to do another "grab-bag tasting." So, as was done with the Pumpkin beers, instead of choosing one beer for the panelists to taste I asked them to try whatever Christmas beer or winter warmer that they wanted and to send in the review.

(Want to be a part of the beer tasters panel? Check out beer tasting panel information and FAQs.)

Kyle Sanders tasted Celebration Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - 4 out of 5

Every year I look forward to seeing Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale arrive in my local beer store. For one thing, I believe Sierra Nevada to be one of the better U.S. breweries, but I believe the seasonality has quite a bit to do with it as well. If I want to drink this beer, I have to get it now. After all, this is really an India Pale Ale – not exactly what springs to mind when thinking of holiday or winter beers.

The beer pours a clear, pale copper with a dense foamy head and a light floral hop aroma. Pine hop bite up-front blends to malt in the middle, which fades away to a clean finish. Nothing fancy, nothing weird. No oddball spices that show up in some holiday beers. This beer is about balance, simplicity and good malt and hops, and a little dry-hopping.

This is not one of those overly-hopped beers trying to mask a poorly made beer. This beer was made carefully for maximum enjoyment, not maximum bitterness. So what if it’s an IPA? Go out and try it. It easily beats most of the IPAs out there the rest of the year.

I know I will be eagerly awaiting next year’s supply when this year’s is gone.

Mike Ioanes tasted JosephsBrau Winterfest - 4 out of 5

The label says this is a "double dark bock lager". I got it at a great store called Trader Joe's. Supposedly brewed & bottled by the "JosephsBrau Brewing Co, San Jose, CA"...actually bottled by somebody for Trader Joe's. The beer is very dark, probably as dark as cola, and had surprisingly little head, which vanished almost immediately. I didn't think it had a lot of taste, by which I should say it wasn't very bitter. I more often drink ales. The label says it's 7.5 percent alcohol, which is higher than lots of beers. This could be a good beer to show someone who drinks a lot of mass-produced beer that there's something better around.

Kyle Sanders tasted Ebenezer by Bridgeport Brewing Co. - 4 out of 5

Bridgeport’s holiday offering is another example of good beer made without any of the spices or flavorings that are supposed to lend a holiday character to the beer.

It pours a dark, caramel brown with a red tint and with minimal head. The aroma is of toasty malt – hardly any hops are detectable.

Heavy malt flavor is noticeable up-front, but there are plenty of bittering hops to balance the malt. I noticed the hops and malt alternately coming to the front for an extended taste. A neat trick, it left me wondering how to re-create such an experience through homebrewing. The long finish was a perfect complement.

This is a highly enjoyable, well-balanced beer. Like most good beers, it improves as it warms up a bit. So, grab a couple bottles and let the second one sit out while you enjoy the first.

Mike Iones tasted Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - 5 out of 5

This is the good stuff! Always happy when this shows up in the stores. Moderately dark but can still see through it, a generous head that shrinks but doesn't go away. A slightly fruity aroma and great taste, bold and bitter. I've tasted a few beers that I like better than this but not many. Sierra Nevada has recently switched to "real" bottle-caps as opposed to twist-off but still bottles in short, lighter-feeling bottles. I won't hold that against them, this is good beer.