Busy limited edition prune-hued winter ale connects bourbon-port wining to chocolate-covered raisin affluence and sweet cinnamon-allspice-nutmeg seasoning. Punctual hazelnut, walnut, and macadamia incisiveness reinforces chewy butterscotch midst and recessive chocolate éclair finish. Mild almondine, plum wine and purple grape illusions ease into the mix.

Emaciated dry-spiced chestnut-hued winter warmer’s understated nature is drawback. Laid-back cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, paprika, and coriander spicing fades into obscure Scotch-malted mildness. Hasty cherry-apple grove wanes as feint banana-bread, cookie dough, and toasted almond illusions receive herbal drubbing.

Nearly spectacular Belgian-candied winter seasonal retains sharp-spiced dry-fruited cocoa-malted blitzkrieg to heavenly rich red-wined finish. Brown-sugared cinnamon-allspice-nutmeg-gingerbread spicing drifts into chewy nougat center alongside equally affluent prune-soured raisin-pureed plum-dried fervor. Pecan, macadamia, and almond illusions squeak through grape-purpled burgundy, bourbon, and sherry subsidy. Whiskeyed cherry nuance reinforces boozy depth.

Smoothly creamy chocolate-spiced winter seasonal reaches sublime heights. Sugar plum, fig, and date ride shotgun next to cinnamon-nutmeg-coriander-ginger spicing and macadamia-hazelnut-pecan propensity.

Rust-tinted Belgian X-Mas celebration ale, bitterer than most holiday offerings, decorates cinnamon-nutmeg-spiced ambiance with effervescent juniper hops and delicate caramelized malts. Ripe raisin heightens mint-y aftertaste.

Congenial coppery amber-glowed winter brew finds initial smoked wood seduction settling to barley roast pleasantry overlaying chestnut-butternut lilt and tobacco hint. But seasonal spicing is suspect.

Though lacking spicy seasonal expectancy, honeyed vanilla malts invite marzipan, pecan, and biscuit-y wheat illusions to come and go. Phenol dry-hopped astringency undermines stone fruit nicety, but macadamia-almond nuttiness makes up ground.

Tiny Flemish homebrewers’ wintry nickel-hazed reddish-glazed strong ale places orange-candied lemondrop tartness above warming alcohol sensation and spongy carbolic fluff. Serene seasonal spices tingle oncoming red apple ripeness and tangerine-orange tang as sugary yeast sinew further sweetens festive treat.

“Rich and dark like a dobbel,” spicier than a copper ale, but nowhere near as potent as Affligem Tripel. Buttery, ginger-snapped, hop-fizzed holiday treat crowds wispy cobwebs of spongy lace above heartwarming medicinal center aiding earthen wheat-dried red grape musk and latent prune-ripened gunk. ‘07 version brought creamier caramel malting and bruised orange-cherry vigor to brandy-soaked Chardonnay sumptuousness.

Divergent tawny seasonal perks chewy caramel-butterscotch reliance with harvested spruce tips, mild chestnut-pine wood tones, and insurgent floral hops -abandoning predictable cinnamon-nutmeg wintering for heavily alcoholic dessert warmth. Complexities abound when syrupy flow turns bubble-gummy at thawed finish.

Venerable butterscotch-hued spongy tan-headed Imperial Red Ale celebrates winter solstice with lusciously fruity full-bodied seasonal that remains abundantly well rounded and remarkably consistent. Generous floral-tinged tangerine-orange sweetness caresses tropical pineapple-mango tang and candied apple glaze as countered grapefruit bittering increases. Moreover, creamy maple-sapped caramel-vanilla malting compensates resinous piney wood tones.

27th anniversary winter ale has a hazelnut-chestnut-walnut essence, seasonal pine luminescence, and pronounced mint-y clove follow-through. Its busy spiciness, rich creaminess, and sugary caramel malting anchor strong medicinal finish.