I am no fan of the winter ale style.

That’s because there isn’t a winter ale style, just a loose amalgam of strong ales with or without pumpkin-pie spices. Many brewers make them, and the characteristics of each one vary so widely that the drinker can’t usually get a sense of what the brewer was trying to do and if she achieved that goal.

Let’s call these beers what they really are: mass market-style line extensions designed to suck the $$$ out of consumers’ wallets during the Holiday season. It’s the kind of large company practice that disappoints me to see used by artisan brewers who are otherwise able to live or die by the high quality of their beers. Some consumers may be lured in, but it’s telling how much of this Holiday stuff remains on special long after the Christmas tree goes through the mulcher.

My practice has been to steer clear of the bottles with elves and sleighs on the label, and stick with traditional styles that warm and comfort, such as imperial stout, Doppelbock, and the occasional barley wine. I like cloves and cinnamon as much as the next guy, but not so much in my beer.

-Mark