64 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • DECEMBER 2017 64 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2017 64 LONGISLANDPRESS.CO M • SEPTEMBER 201-----------TUTU111
BY BERNIE KILKELLY
As cold weather approaches Long
Island, beer lovers reach for hearty
winter ales to keep the chill at bay.
Often known as Winter Warmers,
this beer style has its roots in the
centuries-old British tradition
of brewing robust, high-alcohol
beers enjoyed in snow season. Such
beers were often aged in barrels
like wine, and became known as
“Barley Wine.”
Other full-bodied ales called “Old
Ales” took on a fruity or chocolaty
flavor from roasted malts, floral
hops and higher alcohol levels.
Classic examples include Samuel
Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale,
Young’s Old Nick and Theakston’s
Old Peculier Ale. Long Islanders in
search of winter ales need not look
far, with many local craft breweries
featuring winter beers.
“Winter ales typically were amber
or brown ales and didn’t have
added spices, although some beers
called wassail ales used spices
similar to mulled wine,” says Peter
Tripp, owner of Homebrews and
Handgrenades Supply Shop in
Baldwin.
American microbreweries began
experimenting with winter ales after
Anchor Brewing in San Francisco,
brewers of the famous Anchor
Steam, made their first Anchor
Christmas Ale in 1975. The recipe
changes annually but one constant
is rich maltiness and spices such
as nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.
Samuel Adams popularized the
use of spices and paid tribute to
the British tradition with the ’95
introduction of Old Fezziwig Ale, a
brown ale brewed with cinnamon,
ginger and orange peel.
Blue Point Brewing’s Winter Ale
was one of the first seasonal beers
introduced after the brewery was
founded in ‘98. The amber ale uses
crystal and chocolate malts to add
a robust flavor and weighs in at a
warming 7.7 percent alcohol by
volume (ABV).
Long Ireland Beer Company brews
its Winter Ale with five different
malts, including Honey Malts and
Cararuby for a deep ruby-red color,
and uses ginger, allspice and cinnamon
for a spicy finish.
Great South Bay Brewery started
brewing its Sleigh Ryed Winter Ale
soon after the brewery was founded
in ‘10.
“We wanted to brew a winter ale
right from the beginning and
Sleigh Ryed is one of our most
unique offerings,” says Head Brewer
Greg Maisch.
Maisch got his inspiration from
German rye beers, known as
Roggenbiers, which use rye malt
to give the beer a pronounced
spiciness. His recipe uses 28 percent
malted rye, roasted barley
malt to produce a deep amber
color, and juniper berries for a
piney finish.
“We mash up whole juniper berries
in a food processor and add them
into the boil, along with Cascade
and Chinook hops for bittering
but not overpowering hoppiness,”
he says. “Sleigh Ryed is strong at
6.6 percent ABV but has the right
balance of malt and spices.”
New local craft breweries also have
the seasonal spirit. Head brewer
Wayne Milford of BrewSA Brewing,
which opened on the Nautical
Mile this spring, will brew a winter
ale that’s expected to be on tap
at his tasting room in December.
Joe Curley, founder and brewer of
Tweaking Frog Brewing Company,
will brew his debut Winter Warmer
on a new 10-barrel system that
they share with Jamesport Farm
Brewery.
“We’re going to use Golden Promises
and Hudson Valley pale ale
malt as a base with crystal malts
and roasted malts for coloring,”
says Curley, noting the name will be
chosen from suggestions in a contest
held at the Long Island Fresh Hop
Festival. “We’re aiming for 7.5 percent
ABV and the beer will have a
unique estery aroma from the blend
of two Belgian yeasts.”
Local homebrewers also brew
strong ales to combat the chills.
Tripp said that Homebrews and
Handgrenades sells ingredients
for a variety of winter ales ranging
from amber and brown ales to
porters and stouts. Dan Concepcion,
owner of Brew and Beyond
homebrew shop, says he sees
customers brewing beers that are
higher in ABV that are meant to
be sipped slowly.
“To me nothing gives that holiday
feel like a nice warming brew with
notes of cinnamon and nutmeg,”
he says.
FOOD & DRINK
Local winter ales keep
the home fires burning
Jenni Angerame, a bartender at Maxwell’s in Islip, pours a pint of Local Cheer, the bar’s winter ale.