Beginning to look a lot like Christmas Ale

Beer shelves are getting festive right now with all the different holiday seasonals. Boulevard's Nutcracker Ale hit shelves about two weeks ago. I had some on tap at the Flying Saucer and it's drinking very well. New Belgium's Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale was released, but it may be hard to still find it by now.

Two that hit shelves this week that I'm particularly excited about is Schlafly's Christmas Ale and Anchor's 2009 Our Special Ale. I found both at Red X, Schlafly for $10, Anchor for $15. Both of these winter warmers follow the wassail tradition of adding spices.

You have probably heard of Wassail in some Christmas Carols, but the tradition actually pre-dates Christianity. It comes from Germanic regions and was a way to honor the gods for a bountiful harvest. The word Wassail is a contraction of the Middle English phrase wæs hæil, meaning "be healthy". Wassail the drink is traditionally a mulled punch, cider, wine, or ale served out of a communal "bowl". Spices used include cinnamon, cardomon, ginger, almonds, and dried fruit. The act of Wassailing is the basis of Christmas Caroling, traveling from house to house singing songs and getting offered drink in return. Like Trick-or-Treating in the snow for booze. Another form of Wassailing involves going to an orchard and creating loud noise to scare away evil spirits. This helps ensure a good harvest the next year.

Schlafly's Christmas Ale is spiced with orange peel and cloves. The oils from the orange peel play just as much a part of the spicing that the cloves do. Color is a warm orange-brown, hazy through the center with mild carbonation. Smell is of cloves, very strong and slightly bitter. Taste has a slightly bitter hardwood flavor with various spices mingling around the edges. More of the cloves, a bit of nutmeg. Finishes with some hop notes. Even though it is 8%, it doesn't feel as "warm" as some other winter warmers that are lower in ABV. I think this one is better suited for after dinner rather with the meal.

As with many other traditions in the modern craft beer world, Anchor Brewing's Our Special Ale is another original. In fact this is Anchor's 35th year in making OSA. Each year the recipe changes along with the tree that is featured on the label. Anchor's Our Special Ale is hoarded year after year for aging because the unique spices act as a preservative. Every once in a while you will see reports of vertical tastings. I've even seen the bottle line up for a ten year vertical. I have only managed to save some of last year's. I have only seen these in 12 oz bottles, but Anchor shows 1.5 liter magnum bottles too. Let it be known that is on my Christmas list.