If it’s October, it’s time to start thinking about those holiday beers. I know, I know, it seems early for that, but we all know how the autumn flies by in Beer World, so you’ll thank yourself for getting your yule season’s beers in the fermenter nice and early! One of the more intriguing styles in the BJCP Guidelines is the Winter Seasonal Beer category, and as a wide-open specialty category a lot is left to the imagination and decision-making of the brewer in question.
What follows here is one successful recipe, but it certainly isn’t the only one, since you can use any base style and most any kind of spicing you might be interested in. Having said that, I would caution you to avoid throwing the kitchen sink at this style. It should still be recognizable as beer, and too many special ingredients (or, in my opinion, too much alcohol) can muck up the profile. Start on the low end of your special ingredients (and add to taste, as you’ll see), and you’ll have a go-to Winter Seasonal recipe in no time.
STYLE
Specialty styles don’t defy description – they just make it boring and conditional. Any base style can be used here (my recipe can just be listed as “Amber Ale” if you’re entering competition and need to identify a style), and the most important advice I can give you is to take note of the category in which this style lives: Spice Beer.