Tis the season for seasonal beers
By Katherine Weadley

Beer lovers wait all year for this time of year because this is the time for seasonal beers. Seasonal beers are beers with limited production and are released during a particular time of year. Julia Herz, Lyons resident and spokesperson for the national Craft Brewer’s Association in Boulder says “Seasonal beers and special release beers are the gems of the brewing world. They can come and go in a cyclical fashion, but can also be a one-time release.”

Examples of seasonal beers are pumpkin ales, harvest ales and Oktoberfest beers. According to Herz, seasonal beers focus on seasonal ingredients and highlight flavors that harmonize with the faire of the moment.

To help thirsty folk navigate the world of seasonal beers the Brewers Association has a new Web site dedicated to seasonal beer releases: www.seasonalbeerandfood.org. This site is unique to most beer Web sites because all postings come directly from the breweries themselves.

Seasonal beers are the number one selling craft beer style right now. Despite the economy, in a recent Brandweek article The Nielsen Company stated seasonal beer sales were up 29 percent in dollar sales. “Craft [dollar sales are] up 14 percent year to date, but seasonal is up 29 percent. What that is telling you is there is interest in different beer styles and variety and consumers are willing to experiment,” said Nick Lake a director at Nielsen.

An example of a seasonal beer is “Snowbound Winter Ale,” produced by Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing Company. According to the description provided by the brewer it’s a spiced strong ale brewed once a year to fight cabin fever. It uses all natural ingredients, including crushed cinnamon, chopped ginger, organge zest, cardamom and cloves. The food pairing suggestion is turkey.

Another example of seasonal beer is “Winter Warlock,” produced by Bristol Brewing Company in Colorado Springs. It is an oatmeal stout and the winner of the Silver Medal in the Foreign-Style Stout category at the 1998 Great American Beer Festival. The brewery suggest pairing this seasonal beer with dark chocolate, blue-veined cheeses and hearty winter stews.

For more suggestions on seasonal beers distributed in Colorado and their perfect food matches go to the Brewer’s Association’s Web site www.seasonalbeerandfood.org.