I’m a big fan of darker, richer beers. Sure, the lighter stuff can be nice on hot summer days, but usually if I’m drinking beer I want it to be something that packs a bit more to it. The fall and winter seasonal beers are right up my alley.
The other day at the local grocery store I was picking up a few things. You know you’re a bachelor when your cart has a ribeye steak, frozen jalapeño poppers, soft pretzels, a bag of frozen burritos, steak sauce, and a box of Lucky Charms in it. The only thing I really needed was a good beer to top it all off.
Standing in front of the selection of beer is overwhelming sometimes. There are always the favorites, but sometimes I just feel like trying something new. The weather was cold and rainy that night, and I felt like a winter brew. So I grabbed a six pack of Alaskan Brewing Company’s Winter Ale.
The Alaskan Winter Ale was a new one for me. I had tried a few of their other brews before and they were all pretty good. The Winter Ale is brewed in the style of a classic English Olde Ale, but with one ingredient that really makes a difference: spruce tips.
The spruce tips, harvested off local Sitka spruce trees earlier in the year, really add a unique and refreshing flavor to the beer. You take a sip and it tastes like being out in the forest smells, if that makes any sense. This beer would be a good one to compliment a hearty fall dinner, or just sitting around hanging out with friends.
One other cool thing about the Alaskan Brewing Company is a section of their website dedicated to cooking with their beers. You can find all kinds of good recipes for each of their brews. Check it out here.
