There are plenty of drinks that evoke the winter season – hot cocoa, mulled wine, Champagne to toast any and all festivities – but it also marks the time of year when breweries go big on flavor and often on alcohol content. These winter tipples will warm you up in more ways than one.
Try these 12 local beers to get a taste of holiday candies and cookies, baking spices and even some whiskey. Because they are seasonal and often limited in supply, we recommend giving the brewery a call or checking their latest tap list or social media posts to ensure each brew is still available.
721 N. Arizona Ave., GilbertArizona Wilderness Brewing Co. has several wintry brews on deck, including one that takes inspiration from a classic holiday sweet – peanut brittle. This amber ale is brewed with 100 pounds of freshly roasted peanuts, vanilla and milk sugar. The Peanut Brittle Ale is available on draft and in cans at both Wilderness locations. The brewer is also dropping its Beire de Wassail Farmhouse Ale, a mulled cider-inspired biere de garde.
8300 Hayden Road, Scottsdale Sonoran Brewing Co.'s White Chocolate Ale, a lightly sweet, wholly unique wheat beer, could arguably make this list in its own right if it wasn't available year-round. Enter the seasonal Candy Cane White Chocolate Ale, which adds a kick from the peppermint stick, to paraphrase Andy Williams. The holiday version of the ale is available on draft and in cans at PHX Beer Co.'s two locations (it is the exclusive brewer of Sonoran's beers). You may be able to find cans to-go or at liquor stores around town, but this popular holiday beer often goes quickly.
Try these 12 local beers to get a taste of holiday candies and cookies, baking spices and even some whiskey. Because they are seasonal and often limited in supply, we recommend giving the brewery a call or checking their latest tap list or social media posts to ensure each brew is still available.
Add spirit to your holidays with wintry-flavored beers from local craft brewers like O.H.S.O. Brewery + Distillery.
O.H.S.O. Brewery & Distillery
Tasting Flight at O.H.S.O. Brewery + Distillery
Multiple locationsNo one does the holidays quite like O.H.S.O. Brewery + Distillery. To get into the holiday spirit, the brewery will host its “12 Beers of Christmas” on Dec. 12, tapping an array of 12 to 20 holiday ales and winter warmers at each of its four locations around the Valley. These include beers brewed by O.H.S.O., fellow local brewers and national makers. All beers will be served with gingerbread cookies and will be poured until they're gone. Draft lists at each location vary, so check their social media for a full tap list.Cousin Eddie’s Winter Warmer at Simple Machine Brewing Co.
701 W. Deer Valley Road, #1We dare you to drink a pint of Cousin Eddie’s Winter Warmer, brewed by Simple Machine Brewing Co., and not start reciting memorable lines from “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,” which gave us the dense, short-robe-wearing namesake. The winter warmer is available in cans and on draft. As the style’s name implies, it’s brewed to keep you warm during the winter, and clocks in at 10% ABV.
Roses by the Stairs Brewing has added a holiday-inspired brown ale to its rotation of craft beer.
Sara Crocker
A Dry Heat Holiday at Roses by the Stairs Brewing
509 W. McDowell RoadRoses by the Stairs Brewing has tapped a holiday-inspired brown ale. Inspired by cozy nights sipping hot chocolate, the ale is crafted with chocolate, vanilla and marshmallow. A Dry Heat Holiday is available on draft only at the brewhouse, which is located in old Easley's Fun Shop building on McDowell Road.Mayan Chocolossus at 8-Bit Aleworks
1050 N. Fairway Drive, Building F, #101, AvondaleThe gaming-centric Avondale brewery 8-Bit Aleworks has several holiday beers on tap. Its winter seasonal, Witcher Warmer, is available on tap and in cans. The warmer has notes of dark chocolate, roasted hazelnut and vanilla, taking a nod from Nutella. Coming on Dec. 21, 8-Bit will release its Mayan Chocolossus, and a Whiskey Del Bac barrel-aged version, on draft and in bottles. Mayan Chocolossus is an imperial stout that uses Mexican cinnamon and vanilla, ancho chiles, cacao nibs, annatto powder and local honey. And, new this year, 8-Bit is releasing Cheep-Cheep, a Red IPA made with anchovy hops. Don’t worry, there’s nothing fishy about this new varietal; instead, these hops have notes of watermelon hard candy, raspberry, citrus and pine.
Christmas Ale at Huss Brewing Co.
Multiple locations Huss Brewing Co.’s Christmas Ale hits taps starting Dec. 6. The beer packs in all the holiday spice flavors thanks to the Gingerbread Cookie Malt used in the brew. It imparts flavors of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, clove and black pepper – just like the classic Christmas cookie. It's available on draft at Huss's four taprooms around the Valley. And, if you’re looking for a bit of extra Huss holiday cheer, check out their Imperial Cocoa Gingerbread Stout. It’s available exclusively at its Papago Brewing Co. outpost in Mesa and in cans at Total Wine.Peanut Brittle Ale at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
201 E. Roosevelt St.721 N. Arizona Ave., GilbertArizona Wilderness Brewing Co. has several wintry brews on deck, including one that takes inspiration from a classic holiday sweet – peanut brittle. This amber ale is brewed with 100 pounds of freshly roasted peanuts, vanilla and milk sugar. The Peanut Brittle Ale is available on draft and in cans at both Wilderness locations. The brewer is also dropping its Beire de Wassail Farmhouse Ale, a mulled cider-inspired biere de garde.
For the holiday season, Four Peaks Brewing Co. crafts a vanilla coffee bean porter.
Four Peaks Brewing Co.
Kühl Beans Vanilla Coffee Porter at Four Peaks Brewing Co.
1340 E. Eighth St., TempeFour Peaks Brewing Co. makes a twist on a coffee porter by using Monsooned Malabar coffee beans. With this process, coffee seeds are exposed to monsoon rain and winds. As a result, the beans swell and lose their acidity, leading to more neutral flavors of baker’s chocolate and earth, according to the brewer. The porter is then infused with Madagascar vanilla beans, adding a bit of cream to this robust coffee beer. The brew is available at Four Peaks’ Tempe pub or local retailers.Dinosaur Back at Wren House Brewing Co.
2125 N. 24th St.The holidays are a time to indulge, and the same can be true with craft beer. Wren House Brewing Co. has an impressive barrel-aging program, including its Cactus Catalog series. On draft now is Dinosaur Back, a blend of a barleywine and two imperial stouts, all aged in different distiller's bourbon barrels, imparting notes of fudge brownies, s'mores and berries. That pour is 10.8% ABV. If that sounds too heavy, you may find the significantly lighter 2.5% ABV Cranberry Sauce edition of its popular fruited sour series, Las Frescas, available in the taproom.Candy Cane White Chocolate Ale at PHX Beer Co.
3002 E. Washington St.8300 Hayden Road, Scottsdale Sonoran Brewing Co.'s White Chocolate Ale, a lightly sweet, wholly unique wheat beer, could arguably make this list in its own right if it wasn't available year-round. Enter the seasonal Candy Cane White Chocolate Ale, which adds a kick from the peppermint stick, to paraphrase Andy Williams. The holiday version of the ale is available on draft and in cans at PHX Beer Co.'s two locations (it is the exclusive brewer of Sonoran's beers). You may be able to find cans to-go or at liquor stores around town, but this popular holiday beer often goes quickly.
