Beer

By Bert Mattson

Holiday Toasting

If you’re acquainted with social media, you’re probably aware of the trend to popularize obscure holidays. A look at a list of these B-side holidays taught me that there is at least one holiday for every day of the year. Dec. 5 is an embarrassment of riches, boasting both National Bathtub Party Day and International Ninja Day – my life will never be the same. As though New Year’s didn’t suffice, I found a few other holidays in December dedicated to the drinker (The jury is out on whether it’d be responsible to integrate alcohol into the celebration of International Ninja Day).

One that caught my eye is National Repeal Day, which commemorates Franklin D. Roosevelt sealing the fate of America’s unpopular 13-year experiment prohibiting alcohol nationwide. This history and the holiday season leave me pondering the optimal beers for a fireside chat. On this, should you accuse me of a random attention span, I should say … hey, did I mention ninjas?

Fireside sipping involves your more exotic glassware such as snifters, goblets and thistle glasses. A thistle glass is a twist on a tulip glass. It has a bulb sitting at top of the stem then flares out conically to the rim. It mimics a thistle blossom, the national flower of Scotland, and is used for Scotch Ale.

Scotch Ales, also referred to as Wee Heavies, are malt forward often with caramel or molasses character, sometimes featuring light smokiness. The style originated in Edinburgh in the 19th century - place and time ill equipped for emphasizing hops. The alcohol presence in Wee Heavy tends toward boozy. This combination of features, for me, puts it on the short list of fireside sippers. True to form, Bell’s Brewery’s Old Fashioned Holiday Ale comes in at a hefty 10.8% ABV. It’s aged in bourbon barrels and infused with dried cherry and orange peel. Perfect for swirling in a thistle or tulip lounging around a flickering fireplace.

Scotch Ale was influenced by English Barleywine. Barleywine is not wine. Its complexity and strength earned it the name. As with Wee Heavy, hops and yeast play a supporting role in Barleywine. Malt is the headliner. ABV can range up to 12% or higher. These beers are typically dark, with tones of toffee and fruit. Boozy warmth is a feature achieved with lots of malt which is balanced with a great deal of hops, resulting in Barleywine’s signature complexity. The American versions tend to be more aggressively hopped than the English. A beer goblet showcases the style’s color and clarity, and the bowl shape traps aromatics for the discerning nose. Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Barleywine Ale is an English-style iteration aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels – lending notes of charcoal, tobacco and a boozy Bourbon warmth.

Minnesota’s own Steel Toe Brewing makes Black Barleywine called Before the Dawn, which is blended with Imperial Stout and also aged in bourbon barrels, layering cocoa into the complexity.

Perhaps pair an esoteric beer with an obscure holiday this season.

Bert Mattson is a chef and writer based in St. Paul. He is the manager of the iconic Mickey’s Diner. bertsbackburner.com