Holiday Ales – A Pacific Northwest Tasting

Goodbye  fresh hop beers, and hello holiday ales!

Wow, it’s great to experience the Pacific Northwest’s beer seasons, and the transition from fall to winter is one of our favorites. One reason is that holiday ales pair so well with the hearty cuisine of this season. A side note… if you’re interested in pairing beer with food, I highly recommend checking out this month’s Mix Magazine, which features a full fall beer pairing menu with recipes, created by beer writer Lucy Burningham and Cafe Nell executive chef Andrew Garrett.

Whether planning a pairing dinner or just looking to quench your thirst, the crew at Watershed has done the dirty work of tasting through an abundance of Pacific Northwest seasonal ales for you. This two part tasting process included an in-house tasting of Oregon beers, provided by the Oregon Brewer’s Guild, and a broader Northwest tasting at Seattle’s holiday ale festival. From these two tastings, we’ve put together a palette of earthy, spicey and delicious beers to recommend. Here are our tasting notes!

OREGON ALES:

McMenamins Nutbrown Seasonal

Deschutes Jubelale

Slight peppermint,  sweet, roasty & toasty

Widmer Bros Black IPA (preview – director’s cut)

Big hops on the nose, smooth palate, IPA in black clothing

Deschutes Jubelale

Malty, dark caramel, citrus, floral, layered

Full Sail Wreck The Halls

Tobacco and cigar box, bitter, orange peel

Widmer Brrr...

Full Sail Wassail

Mild, vegetal, stout without the chocolate

Widmer Brrr… (Staff Pick)

Hoppy, malty, balanced, full, like a meal, complete, the all-around favorite!

SEATTLE ALES: (These were the two favorites at the festival)

Beacon Hill Brewing Saison du Bekon

Spearmint, refreshing, big nose, full flavor, light yellow in color, a true stand-out at the festival

Silver City Fat Woody Scotch Ale

Coconut, chocolate and nuts (an Almond Joy!), smooth, addictively delicious

Beacon Hill Brewer Colin Lenfesty & Crew