12 Best Beers To Enjoy During The Winter

For those of legal drinking age, enjoying a brew can be refreshing and delicious any time of year, but certain beers just hit different when poured during the cold winter months. Here are some top recommendations to enjoy, curated by beer and brewing experts. These go beyond the standard stout to embrace warm tasting notes and centuries-old recipes. Some are from well-known breweries with distribution networks around the world, while others take a little bit more sleuthing to track down.

We talked to Tom Acitelli, beer expert and author of The Golden Age of Beer, a 52-week guide to the perfect brew to go with every week of the year. "Winter beers should be thick and rich in the glass and mouth — and, of course, warming (due in no small part to typically higher-than-average alcohol contents)," he says. "There should be hints of spice and seasoning not found in the thinner, paler fare of spring summer."

Damien Zouaoui, co-founder of Oakwell Beer Spa, also weighed in to let us know what types of beer he likes to keep stocked in the taproom during the winter months. With options from spiced stouts to brandywine and Scotch ale, we've made your go-to beer list to get you through the winter.

If you want a malty winter brew, try Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot ale. It's a barleywine made with two malts and three types of hops for a full flavor. Barleywine is an ale made with barley, which gives it a taste more like beer and a booziness that's closer to wine.  "The style dating from the Middle Ages has nothing really to do with wine beyond a slightly vinous taste on the tongue," says Tom Acitelli. "Rather its alcohol content often approaches that of wine — unusually at least 8 to 10% alcohol by volume and sometimes as much as 12% or 13%." The Bigfoot ale comes in at 9.6% ABV and is best when sipped to enjoy the full flavors. It's ideal for those who like beers with a strong sense of hops, which can add bitterness and intensity.

This brew is available in most stores with a good beer selection, but limited to the winter months. If you see it between January and April, stock up, because you won't find it on shelves during other times of year. Acitelli notes that it's an "excellent example of the style and widely available."

Revolution Brewing's Straight Jacket barleywine can be harder to find, but Tom Acitelli says it's worth the search. It has the warm flavor that's characteristic of this style of beer, plus a deep color that hints at its rich taste. With hints of brown sugar and vanilla flavor, it's perfect for colder months. It's aged in bourbon barrels, adding to the warm flavor in the end. This aging process sets it apart from other barleywines and gives it a slightly oaken flavor as well.

"Look for a kaleidoscope of malty, thick sweetness and charming Belgian lace on the glass as the head recedes," says Acitelli. Like other brews of this style, it looks reddish brown to black when poured. Like other barleywines, it's pretty boozy and boasts a whopping 15% ABV. It's definitely an option you should sip and savor, perfect for enjoying on a cold night spent indoors. The Straight Jacket is a limited release from Revolution Brewing and only sent out from the brewery in the very late fall in advance of the cold winter months ahead, so stock up if you see it and want to keep it in your own beer fridge.

Scotch ale is very similar to traditional barleywine, but traces its origins to Scotland. "Scotch ales won't be as sweet," says Tom Acitelli. "Instead they tend to be more bitter, yet smooth." Like barleywine, Scotch ale is high in alcohol content and is a good drink for sipping on a cold, winter night. It's slightly different from Scottish ale, which tends to be not quite as strong, although you often see them on the same shelf. Unless you are a true connoisseur, it can be difficult to distinguish between the two, so look at flavor profiles rather than labels when deciding between the two styles. 

Founder's Brewing Company's Dirty Bastard ale is very malty and a dark red color, which appeals to both the taste buds and the eyes during winter. Malty beers tend to be sweeter and have stronger grain tastes thanks to the malt used in the brewing process. Dirty Bastard has hints of sweet, including caramel and dried fruit flavors, but is still very smooth and heavy. You'll pick up notes of tobacco as well as spices for a rich brew. This Scotch ale comes in cans or bottles and is available year-round, so you don't have to wait for a specific season to give it a try.

Want something even heartier than the Dirty Bastard? Try its cousin, also from Founder's Brewing Company, the Backwoods Bastard ale. It has the same sweet flavors of dried fruit and caramel, with extra oakiness, thanks to being aged in oak bourbon barrels. You can pick up notes of whiskey thanks to the aging process as well as spices in the glass. This brew also has a particularly nice smell, which is part of the sipping experience.

Backwoods Bastard has a slightly higher alcohol content than the Dirty Bastard ale at 11%. When drinking this Scotch ale, it's easy to see why this style is sometimes also called, "Wee Heavy." Founder's Brewing Company calls it a "kick-back sipper" that you can enjoy as you relax in the cold months. It's readily available at many wine and beer stores, but you can also order a shipment for delivery, just like with other brews from Founder's Brewing Company.

The Old Chub Scotch ale from Oskar Blues is very malty, thanks to the seven different types of malt in the brew. It's a little bit smokey and definitely intense, but still has toffee notes, giving it the characteristic depth and spice of a good Scotch ale. You'll get elements of candied figs and raisins alongside the sweet toffee flavor because of the malt.

It's slightly lower in alcohol content compared to some other Scotch ales and brandywine, so it's a good option for those who want something not quite as bold. Old Chub has 8% ABV, which is lower than many other Scotch ales but still more than other types of beer. It's full of intense flavor, however, and plenty of booze so you'll likely want to sip it anyway to enjoy all of the nuance.

"If you can find a thistle glass — big, bulbous base and a long, thin neck, all balanced on a long stem — go for it," says Tom Acitelli. "That's the traditional glassware for Scotch ale." A round, full bottom and a narrow neck that expands to a full opening at the top concentrates the flavors of the beer. This glass is shaped like a thistle, which happens to be the national flower of Scotland. You can also enjoy it in an aluminum can, which was popularized by Oskar Blues back in the early 2000s as a portable way to enjoy a craft brew.

Stouts are a popular option during winter, but you can expand with specialized varieties that incorporate even heartier ingredients in the brew. Oatmeal stout is made with oatmeal, which gives it a strong bakery-fresh taste, channeling the same satiating feeling that you get after enjoying a thick slice of fresh baked bread. If you want to try a unique stout, give Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout a pour. "Oatmeal stout is a heftier, denser version of stout," says Tom Acitelli. "It's the oatmeal that gives it that extra body, though good luck actually tasting the oats (fermentation eats them up)." You won't be actually chewing your drink, although it might feel like it at times because of the luxuriously thick mouthfeel.

This option is smooth and silky, giving plenty of creaminess to this winter brew. It pours dark and opaque with just 5% ABV. Thanks to the original well water used by the brewery, it's a very traditional version of an oatmeal stout. The brewery boasts that it's the oldest in Yorkshire and was established in 1758. This is the same year that the original well was dug, and it's still supplying water for brewing today.

If you want an oatmeal stout that you can practically eat, try Barney Flats from Anderson Valley Brewing. It gives you the same feeling you'd get from eating a tasty loaf of bread. Although you can certainly sip these on their own on cold evenings, stouts also make a delectable pairing with chocolate desserts and creamy oatmeal stout is at the top of the list. Its slightly sweet elements enhance the chocolate flavors and complement intense dark chocolate with a bit of bitterness.

It pours a super dark opaque brown with a mahogany red-brown head on top. This version also has roasted elements that oatmeal stout lovers enjoy and associate with the style. You might also pick up hints of dried cherry, toffee, and espresso. It's not overly sweet, however, and has a very smooth mouthfeel that works well for a rich, winter brew.

This oatmeal stout has taken home multiple awards, including platinum at the World Beer Championships and gold at the U.S. Open Beer Championship, among others. This brew comes in cans and is 5.8% ABV.

You might think that Sam Adams has some of the most widely available beer options, but the Honey Queen is a specialty brew that's a step outside the norm for this mainstream brand. It can be hard to find, but Tom Acitelli recommends searching if you want to try a great version of braggot, a mead-style beer that was served back in the Middle Ages. People have been making mead since they first figured out how to ferment honey with water and yeast to create a deliciously sweet alcoholic beverage. The Honey Queen has a strong flavor of honey in the taste and aroma, but it's a beer rather than a true mead.

Braggot is similar to mead but incorporates hops into the brewing process. "The legendary drink from antiquity — it was centuries old by the Middle Ages, when written references to it started to proliferate — combines honey-based mead with ale to create a sweetly bracing brew generally high in alcohol," he says. The Honey Queen is particularly sweet since it includes its namesake ingredient in the recipe, but it is also a bit floral, thanks to chamomile in the brew. It's only 7.5% ABV, which is low for a braggot but still high if you're a standard beer drinker. 

You'll really have to search to find Atlantic Brewing Company's Brother Adam's Honey Bragget, but it's worth the search. It's made with honey for a hint of sweetness and named for a bee-loving monk. It uses the alternative spelling of bragget, but has the same brewing style, this beer is rich and warm with a distinctly honey flavor for sweetness. "Braggot can be quite dense and rich, too, almost chewy," says Tom Acitelli. He recommends approaching the search for this option like a quest, perfect for the long winter months.

Atlantic Brewing Company is based in Maine, where the Brother Adam's Honey Bragget is aged for six months. The brewery notes that you can continue to age the beer to make the flavors even more complex. It's 10.5% ABV, which is quite a bit higher than the Sam Adams Honey Queen, but more in line with what you can expect from other braggots. 

Not all winter beers are stouts and even IPA drinkers can find a version that will warm them during the cold months of the year. Carry The Fire from Captain Fatty's is a top-rated Black IPA. It combines hoppiness with flavors of chocolate, pine, and cherries. You also get hints of rich dark chocolate, plus a little smokiness from this intense brew. 

"These darker, hoppier beers combine roasted malt flavors with pine and citrus hop notes to create a balanced and bold beer," says Damien Zouaoui of Black IPAs. Also known as Cascadian dark ale, Black IPAs are much darker than other IPAs, which is where they get the name. They also have a much stronger taste of hops, which adds to their depth and makes them ideal when you want a hearty, hefty beer.

Carry The Fire is 8.3% ABV, which is typical of an IPA, which tends to be higher in alcohol content than some other styles. It's not quite as extreme as a brandywine, so it's a good middle-of-the-road option when it comes to booziness.

Brown sugar, plum, and spices make Devils Backbone Brewing Company's Dark Abby a perfect choice for winter. It's a Belgian-style dubbel beer that pours dark burgundy, making it a nice visual addition to your winter table as well. Belgium is known for its tripels, which is similar to a dubbel in the way that it is brewed. However, a dubbel tends to be a bit lighter on the alcohol while still keeping the same sweetness and smoothness. Dark Abby is 7.5% ABV, which falls right in line with a typical dubbel. This style of beer can be heavy, but with fruitiness that gives it a distinct flavor. Dubbels are a type of brown ale and pour dark brown.

"Belgian dubbel or Belgian quadrupel are also excellent choices due to their complex, warming flavors, which include dried fruit, molasses, and a hint of spice," says Damien Zouaoui about the best winter beers. Devil's Backbone Brewing Company is a brewery in Virginia specializing in all types of beer with a focus on the outdoors. It prides itself on bringing people together over a brew in all seasons, whether it's at the mountain summit during a summer hike or after a day spent on the ski slopes.

Our list of winter beers wouldn't be complete without stouts. They are often featured prominently during the cold months, thanks to their hearty and smooth mouthfeel and warm flavors. These dark beers are perfect for winter and provide a creamy, rich texture that's distinctly different from the citrusy, refreshing brews you might turn to during the summer.

Small and large breweries alike often put their own spin on stouts, so the selection is pretty expansive. "Classic stouts are frequently given distinctive twists by local breweries, and you may even come across seasonal special editions that are flavored with holiday spices like cinnamon or nutmeg," says Damien Zouaoui. Exploring local tasting rooms is also a fun way to spend your time in the winter when outdoor activities may be limited. Don't overlook small craft breweries, since many have limited release options and are often experimenting with different brewing styles and flavor combinations. You might end up discovering a stout that you can't find anywhere else!

For even more stout options, check out our list of tasty holiday stouts to get you in the festive spirit. Many include holiday flavors like peppermint or gingerbread, but you can enjoy them during the winter or year-round if you're a stout aficionado. Many of the winter holiday-specific flavors are only brewed in small batches, so they might be hard to come by in other seasons. If you find one that you love, stock up while you can.