Nothing warms the winter like seasonal beers

Ah, winter. I always anxiously anticipate the arrival of seasonal winter beers as much as I look forward to not cutting the grass every Sunday. Missouri wine country is my normal beat, but the world of grain is as interesting as that of the grape. In many of the towns along our numerous wine trails, you will find breweries to quench the thirst of both locals and the throngs of tourists who prefer the refreshing experience of sipping a lager rather than another sip of pink Catawba. Part of the fun of local beer is not only meeting the brewmaster and looking at tanks, but also enjoying the great range of creative names that have been attached to them, especially to the cold-weather drinks. Nearly every brewery produces seasonal beers, including bock beers in the spring, wheat beers in the summer and the enormous range of fall and winter beers that begin in October with the Oktoberfest-style brews of Germany, which revelers celebrate by drinking in large quantities while singing in large tents with thousands of strangers, and the pumpkin ales, aka pumpkin pie in a glass. (Although pumpkin ale may seem to be a relatively recent brewing phenomenon, the oldest recipe that I found dates from 1771.) If you were to start in Kansas City, you’d find the second-largest brewery in Missouri, the Boulevard Brewing Co. Distributed throughout the Midwest, Boulevard’s holiday brew is Nutcracker Ale. Deep amber in color and with an almost-sweet molasses flavor, the ale uses salty hops for a perfect balance. Only on rare occasions do I miss the opportunity to visit Flat Branch Pub & Brewing in Columbia, Mo., when visiting the nearby Les Bourgeois Winery in Rocheport. Throughout the year, more than 70 different beers will be produced at Flat Branch, with the vast majority of those changing seasonally. Flat Branch always starts its season by serving Great Pumpkin Ale beginning on Halloween. Another tradition is serving the Old Cave Dweller Barley Wine. Barley wine is strong – often near 10 percent alcohol (most beers are closer to 5 percent) and full of hops (which add the necessary bitterness), as is traditional in winter warmers. Flat Branch also makes Winter Spice Ale, a rich, dark-brown ale with cinnamon and nutmeg adding to the raisin-flavored elements. If you have the time, drive a few miles east of Hermann on Highway 100 and follow the signs to Berger and the Bias Winery. Attached to the winery is Gruhlke’s Microbrewery. Gruhlke’s small operation makes several styles year round, but its Stout is a seasonal tradition. Although you can’t visit it except by appointment, Tony Caradonna’s O’Fallon Brewery has a very good distribution network, and you can find its Cherry Chocolate on draft and in six-packs through February. The beer that truly put Caradonna on the national brewing map is his Smoked Porter, for which he received a gold medal at last year’s Great American Beer Festival in Colorado. (One thing I do miss about summer: When I go to Cardinals games, regardless of where my seat is, it is always worth the effort to walk all the way out to the area behind the right-field bleachers to get a pint of Caradonna’s O’Fallon Gold, which is always on tap. I hope this continues at the new stadium. Foodie tip: Try this beer with the Parmesan-covered hot pretzels.) While you’re in St. Charles County, have a glass of the Missouri River Otters Winter Ale at Trailhead Brewing Co. in the old gristmill. Then head to Highway 94 and the wine village of Augusta, where you will find the Augusta Brewing Co. and Beer Garden. Owner Steve Neukomm has a lovely Augusta Winter Ale full of robust nutmeg and malt. If weather permits, sit outside and enjoy the Missouri River view. If you don’t have time, you will soon be able to enjoy Neukomm’s brews at Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square. Tom Schlafly and company have done an outstanding job of getting the great range of Saint Louis Brewery’s beers out to local stores and restaurants for us to enjoy, including the superb Barleywine, a heavy, sweet ale that is perfect for cold winter nights. Morgan Street Brewery on Laclede’s Landing has two cold-weather brews to offer. The Winter Lager, a new formulation every year, is a combination of many distinctive ingredients and unique flavors. This year’s blend, available in mid-January, is a stout aged in oak whiskey barrels. Also on tap throughout January is a spiced pumpkin Vienna with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Even the world’s largest brewer is fully into the world of seasonal and holiday beers. Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob label has released Celebrate, a very full and complex, vanilla-scented sipping beer. It has about 10 percent alcohol and is aged in bourbon barrels that have been heavily charred. Drink this one from a large wine glass to appreciate its amazing character. On the Budweiser side, the brewer has also released a seasonal beer called Brew Masters’ Private Reserve. At 8.5 percent alcohol, this is a mouthful of flavor. In a state with such an amazing and growing wine industry, we mustn’t overlook the impact of brewers, large and small, and their dedication to making superior products for us to enjoy. Many years ago Lance Cutler, then the winemaker at Gundlach-Bundschu, my favorite Sonoma Valley winery, told me, “It takes a lot of great beer to make great wine.” I could not agree more.