Happy Holidays! To help bring some spice into your celebration—and mine—I’ve collected my two favorite warm beer cocktails to keep the spirits bright. Warm drinks, including ale drinks, have long been a traditional holiday treat, with folks even walking the streets during the evenings, singing and demanding a serving of ale!
To help keep the spirit alive, and the carolers at bay, here are two excellent warm beer concoctions to share this winter season.
Mulled Beer
Mulled Beer
I liked the notion of this mulled beer, because many of the spices are also great cold and flu fighters! Madga’s Cauldron recommends lager beer, but I think a malty red, like Red Tail, or even Mendo’s Anniversary Saison, would be tasty as well. Just make sure not to boil the honey—that will reduce its medicinal properties.
Serves 1
One 12 oz beer
1 ¼ Tbsp honey
½ cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
½ cm fresh ginger, sliced
¼ tsp ground, dry ginger
½ tsp cardamon
Tiny pinch of nutmeg
Heat all of the ingredients gently in a saucepan. Do not boil!
Strain and enjoy.
Wassail
Apples, brown sugar and beer—what’s not to like? It also smells great while its warming. Cook some apples in advance, and you can mix up this gourmet beer cocktail quickly and easily. I’m making mine with Mendocino’s Oatmeal Stout, or maybe Smoked Double Porter.
Serves 6 to 8
3 apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 Tbsp butter
3 bottles dark beer
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350°. Place cut apples and butter in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Combine cooked apples, beer, brown sugar and spices in a saucepan. Heat and serve.
Happy holidays to everyone, and may your beers never run dry!
The post Warm Ales for Cold Nights appeared first on Mendocino Brewing.