A classic Christmas Ale from Anchor Brewing (Photo credit: Yumi Kimura via Flickr CC)

As hoodies and coats start making an appearance, so do our favorite winter seasonal beers. We may not get hit quite as hard as our neighbors to the north, but something about “frigid” 50-degree weather makes me start craving a nice bourbon-barrel aged stout. Once scarves come out, I start hankering for a nice Winter Warmer, a traditional spicy winter seasonal style of beer.

Spending cold days hanging out at Banger’s always gets me in the mood to try one of the many coffee-infused beers that they always seem to have on tap. (Side note: don’t be deterred to try out Banger’s in cold weather. They have huge tents up with warmers, making it seem like even more of a proper beer hall.)

2013 was a banner year for the craft beer industry in Austin. We saw the opening of what quickly became one of the premier craft beer joints in Austin, Craft Pride. Not to mention the impressive 6 medal haul at the Great American Beer Fest. But most importantly, distributors finally starting taking notice of Austin and we are now starting to get more deliveries of the best beers brewed around the country. Add that to the already excellent beers the Austin-area is brewing, and the selections can get overwhelming.

So here is a quick and dirty guide to a few of the local holiday beers, Austin-area winter seasonals, and some honorable mentions from around the country that we can expect to see this time of year. [Read more…]