Meer over Christmas & winter beer
What is Christmas beer?
The BJCP style guidelines file Christmas beer under 30C Winter Seasonal Beer: stronger, darker and spiced, often with a rich body and a warming finish. Think cinnamon, nutmeg, clove or orange peel, with caramel and dried fruit. There is no fixed base style. Most are ales, although strong dark lagers exist too, and the alcohol is usually above 6%.
According to the BJCP, spices are a Belgian and American tradition. According to beer historian Roel Mulder, most Belgian Christmas beers are dark and strong, following the example of Scotch ale: in December 1896 two cafés in Charleroi were already advertising 'Christmas', probably imported Scotch ale. English and German brewers traditionally do not spice. The BJCP lists the English winter warmer as an example under 17A British Strong Ale. German Weihnachtsbiere are usually darker and maltier, and may be somewhat stronger.
Which winter beer are you after?
- Malty and round: bock or doppelbock, with toasty malt; doppelbock with dark fruit too. Around 1980, Dutch bock only came onto the market on 6 December.
- Belgian and fruity: dubbel and quadrupel, with caramel, raisin, plum and fig. Spices are not usual here; if you want cinnamon, choose a spiced Christmas beer.
- Black and heavy: imperial stout, with coffee, dark chocolate and dried fruit, usually 8–12%.
- For sipping: barleywine. The BJCP calls the English version a 'wintertime sipper'; American barleywines are often linked to winter and often carry a vintage year.
- With wood: barrel aged, often a strong stout or barleywine aged in a bourbon, whisky or rum barrel.
Serving, glass and keeping
Go by the underlying beer. Bock and doppelbock: 7–10 °C in a tulip glass. Dubbel and quad: 10–13 °C, also in a tulip glass. Imperial stout and barleywine: 10–13 °C in a snifter.
Some strong winter beers can be kept. According to the BJCP, imperial stout ages well, a quad often benefits from it and barleywine gets smoother over the years, sometimes sherry- or port-like. As a rule of thumb, CraftBeer.com considers beer from 8% suitable for keeping: cool and steady, dark, crown-capped bottles upright and corked bottles lying down. Hop aroma fades with age, so drink a hoppy winter beer fresh.
Christmas beer as a gift
Choose a beer box or build your own box of 6, 12 or 24 beers. Not sure about their taste? Use the Taste Finder or give a gift card. More ideas are in the gift guide. Sending it straight to the recipient? Enter their address as the delivery address. Order before 3 pm on a weekday and we ship the same day; free shipping in the Netherlands from €75. We only sell to people aged 18 and over.
Frequently asked questions
Is Christmas beer always spiced?
No. The BJCP category calls for spices, but English and German winter beers are traditionally unspiced.
Which beer goes with Christmas dinner?
CraftBeer.com pairs a quadrupel with roast duck and aged gouda, a doppelbock with pork or ham, and an English barleywine with Stilton and dark chocolate.
When do the Christmas beers arrive?
Each brewery decides that for itself. What we have now is on this page, with the current Untappd score next to every beer.
