‘Tis the season to eat, drink, and be merry, and with that comes the opportunity to try new seasonal craft beers from Pittsburgh’s breweries. Here are five festive brews to savor over the holidays!
Three Quarters Gone by Spoonwood Brewing Company
Three Quarters Gone, a brown Gingerbread Ale by Spoonwood Brewing Company, is made with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, fresh ginger, and molasses. The name for the beer comes from the end of the fairy tale “The Gingerbread Man,” when the fox is eating the gingerbread man. While you can certainly enjoy this holiday beer all on its own, you may want to try it mixed with a Coffee Blonde beer to spice up your day with a Gingerbread Latte, Spoonwood’s spin on a cozy seasonal blend of two brews. Three Quarters Gone will be available on draft at the brewery in the South Hills while supplies last…i.e. as long as the Gingerbread Man still has his legs!
“Three Quarters Gone + Cold Drip City = Gingerbread Latte. Ask our baristas to pull one for you today.”
Spoonwood Brewing Company
She’s a Beaut by Cinderlands Beer Co.
She is a beaut, indeed. She’s a Beaut, a new holiday IPA from Cinderlands, combines fragrant spruce tips and sweet orange peel with Chinook, Centennial, and Citra hops. Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale, another classic this time of year, was the inspiration for Cinderlands’ latest brew. Stop into their Warehouse in the Strip District to try this beauty on draft or pick up cans from either the Strip District location or their Foederhouse in Lawrenceville.
“The idea is a holiday IPA that evokes a crisp stroll through a Christmas tree farm at this time of year; something slightly warming and piney. We took our standard hazy IPA recipe and pushed toward a more classic hop bill and added the spruce tips and orange peel.”
Cinderlands Beer Co.
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out by Hitchhiker Brewing Co.
The name might not sound like a holiday beer when you first hear it, but Hitchhiker’s latest creation, You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, is based on a classic holiday confection—Buckeyes. You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, an Imperial Milk Stout brewed with oats and milk sugar, comes in at 8.8% ABV and tons of flavor, including notes of milk chocolate, peanut butter, and coffee. Just like Auntie Helen’s homemade Buckeyes at the family Christmas party, this batch of beer may be a crowd favorite, so you’ll want to try it while you can get your hands on it.
“You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out was gleaned from one of our favorite holiday films, A Christmas Story, alongside one of our favorite holiday cookies, Buckeyes. We love Buckeyes, so we wanted to liquify them in beer form—we took a sticky Imperial Milk Stout and conditioned it atop heaps of Peanut Butter and Chocolate.”
Hitchhiker Brewing Co.
Velvet Vortex by Grist House Craft Brewery
Velvet Vortex, a Dessert Sour that debuted last year at Grist House and was a huge hit during the holidays, is back in action this season due to popular demand. Inspired by strawberry cheesecake, it’s brewed with strawberries, raspberries, graham crackers, vanilla, and lactose. Velvet Vortex will be available in cans and released at the brewery at 12 p.m. on December 28th; Grist House will open early that day for the Penn State Cotton Bowl Classic Game so that you can drink your holiday dessert with a side of football.
“Dessert in a cup, this complex, full-bodied sour opens with intense aromas of jam and cupcakes. Deep, layered flavor conjures memories of strawberry cheesecake with graham cracker crust. The tart and savory finish leaves you longing for the next sip of this deviously delicious concoction.”
Grist House Craft Brewery (Untappd.com)
Big Black Voodoo Daddy by Voodoo Brewery
Big Black Voodoo Daddy from Voodoo Brewery is an Imperial Stout aged in conditioning tanks with Oak Staves, adding a classic character of old-world aging without the bourbon tones. 12% alcohol in a stout with roasted and chocolate malt tones means that you’re in for a heavier treat—however, this beer is still silky smooth, so it should be very drinkable when you’re sitting around the fire roasting chestnuts next week. Get it either on draft or in bottles from Voodoo Brewing or in bottles from a wholesale distributor in the area.
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.“The name says it all. BBVD is our big bad seasonal stout made with copious amounts of chocolate and roasted malts and topped off with the right amount of hops to make it taste like a chocolate bar au natural. Good to drink now or age it to award winning caliber.”
Voodoo Brewing Company
