The Holidays are a Great Time to Try Out New Beers

or beer enthusiasts - not the type who like to drink a large quantity of "lesser" beers, but who enjoy savoring a fine brew - the holidays are a good time to slow down and pick out some new options to find your "new favorite beer." If you live near a store that allows you to mix and match beers, i.e. - to create your own six pack - this is a great place to start with sampling new beers. If not, you'll have to try them a six pack at a time, but there's nothing wrong with that either!

One of the reasons that holidays are such a great time to try new beers is that special seasonal beers typically begin coming out in the fall and then continue all the way through the winter season. These tend to be richer, more full-bodied beers than the special beers that are released in spring and summer. The other reason, of course, is that the holiday season, beginning in November and not truly ending until the New Year has dawned, is a good time to celebrate and to relax.

Here are a collection of beers that could suit your tastes if you are a beer lover, as well as some notes about each:

Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop Ale

For those who like hops, Sierra Nevada is a brewery located in Chico, California that has a wonderful assortment of ales and other beers. A craft brewer that is nonetheless fairly well-known, any beer from Sierra Nevada is likely to be a "good" beer, but the Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop Ale is a special one indeed.

Each autumn, when hops reach the peak of their flavor, the brewers at Sierra Nevada create a special beer that utilizes "wet" or undried whole-cone hops from Yakima, Washington. Interestingly, Sierra Nevada also produces a Southern Hemisphere Harvest Hop Ale that utilizes hops that are harvested during autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, thus creating two special harvest ales each year.

Another seasonal selection from Sierra Nevada that comes out late each fall is their Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, while standard selections that are also quite good include Tumbler, Pale Ale and Torpedo Extra IPA.

Tommyknocker Nut Brown Ale with Maple Syrup

Located in Idaho Springs, Colorado, the Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub has an absolutely delightful beer on their hands with the Nut Brown Ale. Lest some beer enthusiast think that maple syrup is not a good addition to beer, keep in mind that only small amounts are used, and the syrup tends to balance out the nutty flavor that is imparted by chocolate malts, giving this ale a rich, sweet taste that brings to mind chilly fall days.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

There are a wide variety of pumpkin ales that come out each fall and generally are offered throughout the season. Weyebacher, located in Easton, Pennsylvania, is one that both packs a punch (8.0% alcohol by volume) and tastes quite good. The taste of pumpkin is mild, and balances out the natural hops flavor that accompanies most ales. Add to that overtones of nuts and cinnamon and the beer is one that is flavorful while still appealing to beer traditionalists.