What Makes a Christmas Beer?

With their big, malty bodies, wine-like alcohol levels and ester and spice complexity, many Christmas beers make exceptional candidates for aging in cool cellars for a few years. While spice notes tend to fade, alcohol warmth smoothes out and becomes softer with age. Heavy, sharp, dark malts shift toward hints of plum, raisin, prune, fig, sherry and vintage port. It's a terrific idea to buy at least two bottles of a high-gravity Christmas ale – one to drink during the current holiday season and the other to put aside for a time. Vertical tastings of several years of the same brand make for an amusing holiday party idea.

Since America seems caught up in craft beer mania, Christmas gatherings that offer tastings of a variety of winter ales have become remarkably trendy. Try pairing each ale with a different style of cheese or meal course. Pour two brands of similar winter ales in glasses labeled "A" and "B" and have guests discuss tasting notes, differences and preferences. Want to make a beer lover truly ecstatic for the holidays? Head to a highly-ranked bottle shop and ask the clerks for recommendations on winter beers as gifts.

A winter beer's sweet malt, full body, creamy carbonation and complex profile makes for a superb accompaniment with almost any winter holiday dish. Caramely, malty ales complement the caramelized flavors of roasted meats, fried foods and oven-roasted vegetables. Sweet, dark, spiced beers even work well with creamy desserts and non-spiced cakes, cookies and pies. Drinking a spiced Christmas ale with a spiced dessert can muddle complex flavors and often lead to a "polar express train wreck" on the palate.

Experiment with winter beers and holiday foods, discover favorite pairings, keep notes on hand for next year and enjoy great beer and friends during this wondrous time of year.