We're getting ready for some more snow to come for our area...tomorrow in fact.. so if you're in SECT make sure to get your snow gear ready and then head to your nearest brewery or package store to stock up on some winter brew before the snow flies! BUT first, check out what winter brews made the Killihump cut!
Back in 2019, we completed a huge project to review some winter beers - you can read that post here, but we included our higher rated brews in this post. We got our hands on as many "winter beers" as we could from local breweries, package and grocery stores. Now of course you're wondering... how exactly did we define a "winter beer"? Of course we collected anything that had the word "snow" or "winter" or the like, in the title - that was the easy part. In the winter months, Chris and I personally tend to lean towards more malty, medium to heavy body brews... more so on the darker side such as ambers, browns, stouts and porters - some with spices, vanilla, chocolate, coffee or bourbon barrel aged. As we started collecting beers and really thinking about this post we were creating, we realized that really any style could be considered a winter brew. It's all a matter of opinion and what you might be doing at the time. Let's face it, not all folks want to drink a thick imperial bourbon barrel aged stout while digging out from a snow storm or snow shoeing through the woods... well, not everyone anyway! Mostly though, the 2019 post was our personal take on some popular styles and brews during the winter months and obviously this went according to what was available to us here in Southeastern Connecticut.
Thomas Hooker Nor' Easter Winter Lager 6% (CT)
Grey Sail Brewing Schooner's Winter Ale 6.5% (RI)
New Belgium Accumulation White IPA 6.2% (CO/NC)
Wormtown Blizzard of '78 Coffee Brown Ale 6% (MA)
Beer'd Brewing Midnight Oil Oatmeal Stout 6.2% (CT)
Troeg's Nugget Nectar Imperial Amber 7.5% (PA)
Fox Farm Brewery Woodline Oatmeal Stout 8.3% (CT)
Woodstock Inn Double Pigs Ear Double Brown Ale 8.4% (NH)
Two Roads Espressway Coffee Stout 6.5% (CT)
Two Roads Igor's Dream Russian Imperial Stout 10.9% (CT)
Smuttynose Wood Chop Chocolate Stout 6.5% (NH)
Description: Woodchop Chocolate Stout is dark, deep and sinfully smooth, brewed with a healthy dose of cocoa powder for a balanced but bold chocolately finish that’ll satisfy your sweet tooth without filling you up.
Woodstock Inn Kanc Country Maple Porter 7% (NH)
Samuel Adams Alpine Lager 5.5% (MA)
Samuel Adams Winter Lager 5.6% (MA)
Description: Bold and rich, with a touch of holiday spice - aroma of cinnamon and ginger which blends with the toasty sweetness of the malted barley and hint of citrus.
Our notes: Spices are not heavily present but we do get a little ginger and definitely a citrus back end; a solid lager; definitely would pair well with a burger or even a hearty soup
Purchased at: Big Y - Groton, CT
Our rating: ❆❆❆
Spencer Winter Warmer 5.3% (MA)
Long Trail - Base Layer Winter Brunette 6% (VT)
Description: Rich malt sweetness woven together with notes of dark fruit, oak and vanilla
Our notes: Definitely oak & smoky flavors; malty, very slight hint vanilla after taste
Purchased at: Big Y - Groton, CT
Our rating: We're split! Meg:❆❆❆ Chris:❆❆
Our notes: Definitely huge hop character, lemony, pine, solid IPA for the winter months
Purchased at: Big Y - Groton, CTOur rating: ❆❆❆❆
Goose Parka Porter 5.3% (IL)
Description: Mild roast on the palate from chocolate malts and balance from caramel malts
Our notes: Definitely roasty, hints of caramel sweetness; easy drinking - one of our go-to dark beers that can be readily found on tap at local area bars
Purchased: Stop & Shop - Groton, CT
Our rating: We're split! Meg: ❆❆❆❆ Chris:❆❆❆
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| Meg loves winter! |
So here we are, in 2021... which brings us to this post! We kick it off with a list of our absolute favorite winter beers to be snowed in with, (which are not in any particular order). Then we get into reviews and rating of some other noteworthy winter brews - which include some newer beers we recently tried, as well as some of the higher rated brews from our 2019 post. Oh and for fun, we included some pics of our beer drinking snow fort at the bottom of this post!
It's time to dig in! Or should I say dig out?
Our Favorite Winter Beers:
(In no particular order)
Description: Brewed to celebrate Winter in New England, Nor'Easter Lager possesses a hearty malt flavor delicately accented by mild winter spices.
Our Notes: Malty; light spice; easy drinking lager; perfect everyday winter beer for literally any winter activity whether indoor or outdoor! Make sure you're snowed in with this brew! Highly recommend!
Purchased At: Grand Wine & Spirits - Groton, CT
Description: A True to style English winter ale, rich & full bodied it’s a perfect compliment to a cold snowy winters eve.
Our Notes: This is a solid brew - like an old school pub ale - rich with bready malt flavors and easy drinking. A portion of all sales support the Mystic Schooners Baseball Team in the NECBL. We’re HUGE baseball fans and we love going to Schooners games so this was a no brainer! Not to mention a great winter brew from a great local brewery! Homerun!
Purchased At: Grand Wine & Spirits - Groton, CT; and also available for to-go cans at Grey Sail Brewery - Westerly, RI
Description: Brewing a white IPA was not only a way to salute the white beauty falling from the sky, but a direct revolt to the longstanding tradition of brewing dark beers for winter and winter seasonal beers.
Our Notes: As they describe - it truly is a nice change up from the usual dark winter beer. Light; clean; smooth; hoppy; a great shoveling or winter hiking brew... or to pair with that warm up meal after!
Purchased At: Stop and Shop - Groton, CT in the "mix six section"; and also at Oak Tree Liqours - Groton, CT
Description: Fresh locally roasted coffee beans and a smooth rich body
Our Notes: This should be your first beer of a snowstorm - super roasty from all that coffee - it will get ya moving! It's nice to see a coffee beer with a malty brown ale backbone instead of a stout. One of our yearly faves! Highly recommend this one!
Purchased At: Grand Wine & Spirits - Groton, CT; and also at Dick's World of Wines - Westerly, RI
Description: Nightscape's malty flavors of roast and toast paired with a trace of crisp-air hop bitterness.
Our Notes: This is our favorite new beer right now! And as you can see by the picture, it's perfect around a cozy fire! Description is dead on... malty, roasty, slight hop bitterness. It's a nice switch up from your usual heavy winter brews. Very versatile and would pair nicely with a hearty stew or something from the outdoor grill! Pick this one up!
Purchased At: The Beer'd Brewing - Stonington, CT; also available at Grand Wine & Sprits - Groton, CT
Description: Full of roast, caramel, chocolate and coffee flavors. A creamy mouth feel with a dry finish.
Our Notes: Another solid brew from Beer'd! This has been one of our favorites for quite some time. To not have this on the winter brew list would be amiss! Their description above hits the nail right on the head. Roasty, smooth - almost creamy. It's perfect for any winter fun - snow days inside baking, or outside warming up by the fire pit!
Purchased At: The Beer'd Brewing - Stonington, CT; also available at Grand Wine & Sprits - Groton, CT
Description: A heady collection of Nugget, Warrior and Tomahawk hops. Starting with the same base ingredients of our flagship HopBack Amber Ale, Nugget Nectar intensifies the malt and hop flavors to create an explosive hop experience.
Our Notes: You certainly don't see many imperial ambers out there and this one is ridiculously solid! Released around this time every year... consider this as a heads up as it may be initially hard to find - pick this one up if you see it! It's hoppy with a malty sweetness, clean and super refreshing and packs a little punch at 7.5%. One of our faves to get every year! Love!
Purchased at: Universal Package Store - New London, CT
Description: A big, drinkable, classic, stout - unencumbered by adjuncts
Our Notes: Roasty, thicker body, smooth. This is one of Fox Farm's more popular beers and it may be hard to get your hands on as it often sells out fast. This is definitely a solid stout and worthy of drinking in snow forts! Dig!
Purchased At: Fox Farm Brewery - Salem, CT (brewery only)
Description: A big, roasty rendition of our famous Pig’s Ear Brown Ale. Mt. Hood, Cascade and Willamette hops balance out the rich maltiness provided by the impressive grain bill.
Our Notes: YESSS! A double brown! Brown ales our one of our favorite styles and we were so excited to pick this one up! This brew is just loaded with rich, sweet, roasty malt flavors! This would make a great after winter hike beer or to pair with a hearty meal. SOLID! Highly recommend!
Purchased at: Grand Wine & Spirits - Groton, CT
Two Roads Lil' Heaven Crushable Session IPA 4.8 (CT)
Description: Made with four exotic hops - Azacca, Calypso, Mosaic and Equinox. Taste is of tropical fruits, specifically passion fruit, grapefruit and apricots. Finishes with just enough toasted malt character to balance.
Our Notes: Hoppy, cistrusy, refreshing and super crushable at 4.8%...its the BEST snow shoveling brew out there!!
Purchased at: Grand Wine & Spirits - Groton, CT
Description: In a process unique to Two Roads, we mixed a locally-roasted Ethiopian/Sumatra blend of beans with a rich oatmeal stout under pressure (like espresso but without the steam) using our German-built “Brewnik” device. The mixture is steeped for several days resulting in a true, cold-brewed coffee stout. Hop on the Two Roads Espressway!
Our Notes: Get your day started... or keep it going... with this yummy brew! Smooth, rich, huge coffee flavor... also a killer brew on nitro if you happen to see it at a local restaurant! Delish!
Purchased at: Grand Wine & Spirits - Groton, CT
Lawson's Fayston Maple Imperial Stout 10.1% (VT/CT)
Description: This seasonal specialty is brewed with organic pale malt and almost two gallons of VT maple syrup per barrel. This cellar aged brew is a huge, rich, and strong stout with a maple twist and is deceivingly drinkable. Designed to keep you warm on sub-zero nights and for sipping with a fine meal or dessert.
Our Notes: They aren't kidding when they say this is "deceivable"! Although slightly boozy tasting, this is dangerously drinkable for a 10% brew! This brew is kicking on all cylinders with those dark, roasty, almost coffee flavors and that sweet maple finish. Definitely a perfect brew to sip after a long day out in the snow - so cozy up to the fire and pour one of these bad boys!
Purchased at: Dick's World of Wines - Westerly, RI possibly also at Grand Wine & Spirits - Groton, CT
Description: In honor of Stratford’s aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky, we’ve created this most unorthodox Russian Imperial Stout. Made with rye and aged in oak whiskey barrels that give it a depth of character like no other, we think Igor would be pleased with the attention to detail in our creation.
Our Notes: This beer is only available on one day at the end of January every year through the brewery... and is super limited... but to not include it on our winter favorites would be amiss! One our favorite days of the year, "Igor Day" at Two Roads has always been memorable and one we look forward to yearly. Of course due to the pandemic, this year it was for sale through online orders and for pick up at the brewery. Unfortunately we missed out this year because we literally have not been outside our 20 mile bubble. However, we still have a few bottles from previous years that we've been sitting on... just waiting for a good snow storm to pop one! It's a dark and boozy brew, smooth and sweet from the oak whiskey barrels - this one will definitely warm you up on a cold winters night!
Purchased at: Two Roads Brewing - Stratford, CT (brewery only)
Other Winter Brew Reviews:
Snowflake Rating:
(how much we liked it; also in what type of snow you should drink this beer)
❆ = slush
❆❆ = flurries
❆❆❆ = steady snow
❆❆❆❆ = nor' easter
❆❆❆❆❆ = blizzard!!!
(how much we liked it; also in what type of snow you should drink this beer)
❆ = slush
❆❆ = flurries
❆❆❆ = steady snow
❆❆❆❆ = nor' easter
❆❆❆❆❆ = blizzard!!!
Description: Woodchop Chocolate Stout is dark, deep and sinfully smooth, brewed with a healthy dose of cocoa powder for a balanced but bold chocolately finish that’ll satisfy your sweet tooth without filling you up.
Our notes: Unfortunately not getting a ton of chocolate - in fact hardly at all - however it's a solid stout. Probably wouldn't recommend this one if you're looking for something sweet.
Purchased at: Dick's World of Wines - Westerly, CT
Our rating:❆❆
Description: Made with Fadden's Sugar Shack Maple Syrup a deliciously smooth dark winter brew!
Our notes: The first thing that hits you is the delightful roasty aroma upon first sip! The maple sweetness follows and is not overpowering - it blends nicely. This is a well balanced brew and we will definitely be getting this one again!
Purchased at: Dick's World of Wines - Westerly, CT
Our rating:❆❆❆❆
Purchased at: Dick's World of Wines - Westerly, CT
Our rating:❆❆❆❆
Description: Hazy and golden. This unfiltered lager is a breath of fresh air. The crisp maltiness and lively citrus notes transport you to brisk sunny days out in the mountains.
Our notes: crisp; nice hazy golden color; easy drinker
Purchased at: Stop and Shop - Groton, CT
Our rating:❆❆❆
Our notes: crisp; nice hazy golden color; easy drinker
Purchased at: Stop and Shop - Groton, CT
Our rating:❆❆❆
Description: Bold and rich, with a touch of holiday spice - aroma of cinnamon and ginger which blends with the toasty sweetness of the malted barley and hint of citrus.
Our notes: Spices are not heavily present but we do get a little ginger and definitely a citrus back end; a solid lager; definitely would pair well with a burger or even a hearty soup
Purchased at: Big Y - Groton, CT
Our rating: ❆❆❆
Description: Amber lager brewed with honey and spices.
Our Notes: Sweet; malty; light spice; perfect beer to pop when you come inside from playing in the snow or to pair with a meal.
Purchased At: Hopkinton Liquor Depot - Ashaway, RI
Our rating: ❆❆❆
Description: Rich malt sweetness woven together with notes of dark fruit, oak and vanilla
Our notes: Definitely oak & smoky flavors; malty, very slight hint vanilla after taste
Purchased at: Big Y - Groton, CT
Our rating: We're split! Meg:❆❆❆ Chris:❆❆
Troegs Blizzard of Hops IPA 6.4% (PA)
Description: Winter IPA to toast hop growers around the world for another successful harvest. This storm of hoppy citrus and pine notes is a bright reminder the end of the Hop Cycle is only the beginning.Our notes: Definitely huge hop character, lemony, pine, solid IPA for the winter months
Purchased at: Big Y - Groton, CT
Description: Mild roast on the palate from chocolate malts and balance from caramel malts
Our notes: Definitely roasty, hints of caramel sweetness; easy drinking - one of our go-to dark beers that can be readily found on tap at local area bars
Purchased: Stop & Shop - Groton, CT
Our rating: We're split! Meg: ❆❆❆❆ Chris:❆❆❆
Anderson Valley - Winter Solstice Ale 6.9% (CA)
Description: Dark copper color; caramelized malty and spicy aromas redolent of cinnamon, allspice, black currant, black licorice. Pleasantly creamy, with a silky body, sweet caramel flavor, hints of seasonal spices and a clean, malty finish.
Our Notes: Aroma of spices; sweet with flavors of cinnamon or vanilla - but not too over the top; creamy - tastes like a caramel cream candy!
Purchased at: Universal Package Store, New London, CT
Our rating: ❆❆❆❆
Our Notes: Aroma of spices; sweet with flavors of cinnamon or vanilla - but not too over the top; creamy - tastes like a caramel cream candy!
Purchased at: Universal Package Store, New London, CT
Our rating: ❆❆❆❆
As promised: time for some fun in our beer drinking snow fort!
...the first fort melted... but we rebuilt - better than ever!
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| Chris & Jeremiah built a solid foundation when the snow first started! |
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| Keri comes out to inspect the boys' work and announces that it's time for beer! |
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| Good work for the first night - beer sure tastes better in a snow fort! |
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| The next day: build complete & driveways shoveled... it's time to decorate! |
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| Decorations complete... Chris, Keri & Jeremiah say it's time for more beer! |
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| Beers, festive lights, tunes and a heater... yup this is comfy! |
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| Cheers from Meghan & Chris! |
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| Time to rebuild! |
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| Cozy! |
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| Chris, Keri & Jeremiah relaxing with their brews! |