BJCP 30C · Spiced Beer
Winter Seasonal Beer
A dark, strong Christmas beer with winter spices, nuts or honey: warming, malty and meant to be sipped slowly.
This is a specialty category, so it has no numbers of its own. Gravity, bitterness, color and alcohol are those of the base style you choose, plus whatever the special ingredient or process adds.
What Winter Seasonal Beer is like
A malty, spiced beer brewed for the winter holidays. It's usually stronger and darker than average and comes across as warming, with spices, sugars or nuts reminiscent of holiday baking.
Appearance
Generally dark amber to very dark brown. Clear.
Aroma
Rich malt with caramel, toast or bread, and spices such as cinnamon, clove, ginger or orange peel. There may be dried fruit or honey notes.
Flavor
Sweet, complex malt with balanced spices, some alcohol and perhaps dried fruit or molasses. Moderate bitterness. Round finish, not cloying.
Mouthfeel
Medium to full body, with alcohol warmth. Low to moderate carbonation.
Where Winter Seasonal Beer comes from
The custom of brewing special beers for Christmas comes from Europe and was picked up by American craft breweries, which added the spices and sugars of holiday baking.
Ingredients
A malty base style with some strength, such as an Old Ale, a Porter or a Belgian Dark Strong Ale, with winter spices, orange peel, nuts, honey or molasses.
Brew it yourself
How to brew Winter Seasonal Beer at home
Mash a little high to keep some body and let the beer age for a few weeks: the spices and alcohol blend together over time. Go light on the spices, because it's easy to overdo them. You have to state the base and the additions; judges look for the base and the spices to form a warm, harmonious whole.
Food pairing
Holiday roasts, nougat and blue cheeses.
Glassware: Teku glass, a tasting glass that works with almost any style.
Frequently asked questions
What food pairs well with Winter Seasonal Beer?
Holiday roasts, nougat and blue cheeses.
Which styles are similar?
If you like it, also try Autumn Seasonal Beer, Old Ale and Belgian Dark Strong Ale.
If you like Winter Seasonal Beer, try these
Classification and statistics: official Winter Seasonal Beer guidelines from the BJCP, 2021 edition. Original text by Hacer Cerveza Casera.