Bigger Beers Fight The Cold

With the temperatures continuing to hover on the colder side of the thermometer, I begin looking for stronger beers, those that will keep me warm and satisfied on even the most frigid nights. And, while imperial stouts and double IPAs are also muscular, it’s the beers that fall under the heading of ‘strong ale’ that I want to delve into now. I am especially fond of those beers known as stock ale or old ale.
In the category of strong ale, you generally have barleywine and old ale. Barleywine ales are often overwhelming, too complex, and in some cases, harsh. And that’s just the English versions, not to mention the powerful lip smacking hop and alcohol bombs from the states. Thus, a great and somewhat more assessable beer for the cold months is old ale.
Old ales get their name from the fact that they are aged, and are actually old, not fresh. Generally, old ales were fermented from the first runnings of a mash, and would be of the highest gravity. A second running of the mash would usually be fermented as a brown or amber ale, and if so needed, a third running might be made into a very low gravity mild or small beer.
Old ales are a classic English style of brew, and are often slightly sweet and alcoholic, although most of are less than 10 percent alcohol-by-volume (ABV). While many old ales are offered during the winter months, and can include winter warmers, that latter style is often not as strong in flavor or alcohol, and is typically released closer to Christmas and New Year.
Whereas English versions are available, and highly recommended, I always adore the American example from Great Divide Brewing Company out of Denver, Colorado. Hibernation Ale is first-rate, and yet not too overwhelming that a novice can’t appreciate the characteristics of a stronger, quality beer.
Great Divide calls Hibernation Ale a malty and robust English Style Old Ale that has won gold and silver medals at the Great American Beer Festival. “Hibernation ale has been our celebrated winter tradition since 1995. This robust, dry-hopped ale has a malty richness balanced with a complex hop profile and hearty, warming character.”
This is where Hibernation Ale will stand out from its English brethren; instead of being completely malty and mostly sweet, this ale offers enough of west coast hop presence to keep the beer crisp. While strong, 8.7 percent ABV, the beer will more resemble a strong amber ale than a glass of brandy.
Hibernation is a dark ruby beer with a fluffy amber head. Smells of spice and buttered earthy bread emit from the glass. The taste is even better, with malt dominating and hops showing up in the finish. The beer has a great texture, and is full-bodied. Although I taste caramel and a hint of chocolate, you can be sure this is not a porter or stout. Hops are citrusy, but fit well with the taste bill. I aged one of these for over a year, and the hops were completely gone, leaving only rich, sweet malty goodness. The present batch says bottled on Sept 19-2014; first bottle late Oct, we’ll see if the remaining 5 make it to 2014.
Great Divide recommends pairing Hibernation Ale with “Roomano, an aged hard Dutch cow’s milk cheese, grilled beer tenderloin, and apple crisp with ginger ice cream.” I recommend it with friends and a cold night. This beer is only around through January at the latest, so get your mates and grab some now. Enjoy the brews … Cheers.
 
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. While they don’t have every beer the Beer Snob writes about, they probably have most. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.