MORE Porters than St Pancras Station was my initial impression of this year’s winter-warming ale recommendations. Understandable this time of the year when even the hoppy golden ales and trendy sours have to finally take a back seat to rich, strong dark brews.
Iceland is not the first country that springs to mind when you think of beer...
Still, there are maverick refreshers even among this rosy-nosed bunch of stouts and porters. I’ve asked the best of our region’s craft beer shops and indie brewers what’s best to shove in our stockings. Here are their tips.
Bottles 33cl unless stated otherwise. Prices, where available, may vary. Sheer alcoholic strength won’t! Cheers.
WYN REECE from BIER CELL AND MORT SUBITE
De Ranke Père Noël, 7%, £7.50
The groundbreaking de Ranke brothers, credited with restoring the hop to Belgian beer culture, typically come up with a Christmas ale like no other. While most are rich and sweet, this one is amber-coloured and has a grapefruity bitter taste, given complexity by the addition of liquorice with a hint of caramel. Dangerously drinkable.
34 Greenwood St, Altrincham, WA14 1RZ - 07842 809334. Also at Morte Subite Bar, 28-32 Greenwood St, Altrincham, WA14 1RZ - 07512 969619.
ROB HAMILTON from BLACKJACK BREWERY
Blackjack Ace of Spades, 10%, case of 18, £49
Just released and new to bottle, this big roasty Imperial Stout has been barrel ageing since the summer, but is fairly easy-going for its strength.
Blackjack Red Rye Saison, 7.2%, case of 18, £32
A real winter warmer, this distinctive Saison benefits from ageing in red wine barrels, the spiciness of the rye and the star anise and red peppercorns that go into it.
Weird Beard Double Perle, 8.6%, £4.30
A big-hitting coffee milk stout with a malty aroma and an assertive sweetness on the palate - a bigger, more luxuriant version of the original Black Perle.
36 Gould St, Manchester, M4 4RN - 0161 819 2767. Check website for on-site brewery tap opening times. They also run the highly recommended Smithfield pub at 37 Swan Street, M4 5JZ.
MIKE MARCUS from CHORLTON BREW CO
Cantillon Iris, 6%, £15 (75cl)
More wintry than the other beers from this legendary Brussels ‘gueuze’ brewer (greater malt body and fruity spice from the hops) and great for sharing. Buy it now and – if you can wait – keep it in a cool dark hidden place until next Christmas. Why Iris? It’s the symbol of Brussels, built on swamps where this flower used to thrive. Unlike other Cantillon beers, no wheat is used – an all malt beer is spontaneously fermented, fresh hops are added and it is dry-hopped before bottling after two years in cask.
69 North Western St, M12 6JL.
STEVE AND ANNE SIMMS from GREAT ALE ALL YEAR ROUND
Blackedge, Yule, Golden, Ginger, Cinnamon, 4.5%, £3.50
This deep amber ale with orange zest, cinnamon and ginger is a really warm, comforting brew, created in Horwich.
Hawkshead Jingle Fells, 4.5%, £3.40
Dark ruby, malty and spicy; brewed with beech-smoked malt, oats, roasted barley and Christmas spices from the Lake District's best brewery.
St Feuillien Cuvee de Noel, 9%, £5.20
This Belgian classic is a lush, hugely spicy festive treat that must be handled carefully. Great with Christmas pud.
Lifestyle Hall, Bolton Market, BL1 1TJ - 07815 058862.
DAMIAN O’SHEA from HEATON HOPS
Thornbridge Cocoa Wonderland, 6.8%, £3.50 (50cl)
Sheer indulgence, like a dessert in a glass and perfect to sip on a cold winter's day. It would work well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the top like an alcohol ice cream float. Heaton Hops have this beer in bottle and keg.
7 School Lane, Heaton Chapel, Stockport, SK4 5DE - 07578 621639. @theAleManMcr
MARK WELSBY from RUNAWAY BREWERY
Westbrook Mexican Cake, 10.5%, £22 (650ml)
Originally created for South Carolina brewer Edwin Westbrook’s wedding in 2011, this whopping Imperial Stout was brought back by public demand. It is aged on cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks and fresh habanero peppers. Sip it as an after Christmas dinner brew. One of Port Street Beer Houses' beers of the year.
Blackjack Ace of Spades, 10%
Blackjack Brewery are releasing their Ace of Spades – oak barrel aged Imperial Stout – this week. I've been looking forward to trying this for a while. Ready to drink or save for next Christmas?
Unit 4 Millgate, 12 Dantzic St, Manchester, M4 4JW - 0161 832 2628.
KEITH McAVOY from SEVEN BROTHERS BREWERY
Beavertown Black Betty, 7.4%, £3
Not exactly a Christmas beer but still warming and full of flavour, this black IPA is an homage to the chewy sweets ‘black jacks and fruit salads’. German Carafa malts provide the dark colour and a touch of roastiness, Pacific west coast hops a tropical bite. Unusual and savoury.
Their new Ancoats bar opens at the start of February 2016, Cutting Room Square. They brew at 33 Waybridge Enterprise Centre, Daniel Adamson Road, Salford Quays, M50 1DS - 0161 637 9929.
ROB LOADER AND SIMON YARWOOD | THE EPICUREAN
Weird Beard Black Christmas Cranberry Stout, 4.5%, £3.55 (50cl)
More from the hyperactive Beardie folk, a lighter festive stout. Subtle roast character plays with fruity and slightly tart notes from the cranberry, which has been combined with Sorachi Ace hops to add hints of vanilla and coconut.
226 Burton Road, Manchester, M20 2LW - 0161 434 2549.
De Dolle Stille Nacht, 12%, £4.30
Another Belgian classic with a Christmas theme from the “The Mad Brewers” cult micro in West Flanders – an ultra-strong and dense honeyed ale with balancing bitterness that changes colour and character from year to year, so worth laying down to see how it develops. Or just share with your best Yule pal.
WARREN McGOUBRY from OAST HOUSE
Einstök Icelandic Toasted Porter, 6%, £5.50
With clear notes of espresso coffee and dark chocolate, this Icelandic porter is dark and rich, offering a medium body that’s robust yet smooth on the palate and easy to drink. Iceland is not the first country that springs to mind when you think of beer but hark to the brewery blurb: “The Einstök Brewery is located just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle in the fishing port of Akureyri. There, water flows from rain and prehistoric glaciers down the Hliðarjall Mountain and through ancient lava fields, delivering the purest water on Earth and the perfect foundation for brewing deliciously refreshing craft ales.”
The Avenue Courtyard, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3AY - 0161 829 3830.
ED GILLIBRAND AND ALEXX MOORHOUSE from TINY’S TIPPLE
Frate Nero Imperial India Coffee Stout, 9.5%, £4
A collaboration between Leeds-based Northern Monk and Nomada, who brew in historic Cuenca, between Madrid and Valencia. This big, bold stout uses the Sidamo coffee bean, a type of arabica coffee from Ethiopia valued for its deep flavours, spice and chocolate-like taste. It is paired with tropical hops like Simcoe and Citra that cut through the big coffee notes before being finished off with oats to give a great texture and thick body. Perfect for nursing on a cold winters night by the fire.
Cloudwater Imperial Stout, 10%, £12, and Small Beer, 7.5 %, £10 (75cl)
The Winter Range from Manchester’s Cloudwater again boasts amazing artwork by local artist Anna Beam – and beer to match. The fruity stout, with hints of chocolate and peat, is one for laying down but hard to resist. The small beer was produced from the second runnings and is not so small...
510 Wilbraham Road, Manchester, M21 9AW - 0161 882 0005.
PATSY AND JOHN SLEVIN from WIGAN CENTRAL
Prospect Clementine, 5%, £22.50 for a 5 litre mini-keg
Clementine is a dark, smooth, malty - very quaffable - traditional ale made with cinnamon and clementines. Once described as like Christmas cake in a glass, it's only available in cask or mini-kegs this year.
1-2 Queen St, Wigan WN3 4DY - 01942 246425. Nominated for Pub of the year in the 2015 Manchester Food and Drink Awards. They run the Standish-based Prospect Brewery.
Finally my own recommendations to swell your crafty Christmas ale stocking:
Northern Monk ‘XXV Anniversary Imperial Stout’, 9.2%, £12 (60cl)
The Leeds-based brewery, an official sponsor at IndyManBeerCon 2015, have collaborated with Opeth, award-winning Swedish prog rockers (as you do) to celebrate the band’s 25 years together. Limited to just 1700 bottles, this one-off monster pays homage to the strongest stout porter brewed in Britain in the 18th Century. Using ten different malts for complexity, it delivers a rich roasted flavour with big hits of chocolate, cinder toffee and coffee. One to lay down, if you can get hold of a bottle (contact the brewery, it’s nearly sold out).
Vocation, Naughty & Nice, 7.5%, £3 (33cl can)
Vying with the higher profile Cloudwater for best newcomer on the brewery scene, this hugely consistent brewer - based on the moors high above Hebden Bridge - has finally converted me to chocolate stout. This one is a beauty; all toast, treacle and bitter choccy but gloriously creamy. It was recommended by beer writer David Bailey and is available at Corin Bland’s Bottle Stockport, 7 Shaw Road, Heaton Moor SK4 4AG, one of my favourite beer shops.
...Cheers and Merry Christmas to tipplers everywhere.
