As the days get shorter and the clothes get thicker, refreshing summer beers are giving way to winter beers.
Brewed with a stronger, richer and fuller consistency, these beers are a great accompaniment by the roaring fire or at friends’ parties.
Winter beers differ from normal beers with their high alcohol content and spicy structure. Alcohol content varies between 9% and 12%. Flavor is added with spices such as cinnamon, star anise, clove and ginger, which is associated with the winter season.
In supercooled drinks, the evaporation of aromatic components slows down and the aroma becomes trapped in the drink. Before the flavor can be fully perceived, only the cooling feature of the drink is utilized. The important thing is to consume the drink at the ideal temperature.
As a general rule, the warmer the beer, the more flavor is released. Warm beers are extremely rich in aroma and taste. Ideally served between 12-15 °C.
Many brewers produce winter beer periodically. The names of this drink, which is very rich in terms of diversity, in the top three in terms of taste are as follows:
Stille Nacht: A strong, complex beer with 12% alcohol content, with notes of caramel, raisins and orange.
Gouden Carolus Christmas: It is a ruby red colored beer with 10.5% alcohol content. It has a sweet taste consisting of raisins, prunes and port wine, complemented by caramel and roasted barley flavors.
Bon Voeux: Brewed in 1970 as a one-off New Year’s beer. It was a hit and the brewery kept the beer in production in small quantities. A soft, golden-coloured beer.
