With Winter, Christmas, Chanukah and a whole mess of other holidays right around the corner, it's time to start getting into the festive mood! And, what better way to do that then to drink some winter or holiday craft beers! We went through a whole mess of seasonal brews so that we could tell you the official DrinkCraftBeer.com Winter/Holiday Beer Recommendations. Without further ado, here's the beer:
Sam Adams Winter Lager
This venerable favorite often goes overlooked in the world of craft beer. Sure Sam Adams is the 800lb gorilla in the industry, but that doesn't mean they still aren't putting out some good beer. We're all about helping the little guy, but that doesn't mean we should ignore good beer from the bigger guys.
Appearance: Clear dark amber with a light head
Smell: Smooth typical lager, slight breadiness, slight sweetness
Taste: This is a great winter session beer and is very balanced, not spiced and is overall very smooth. There's nothing extreme about it, and that's why it works. Sure winter is a great time for big stouts, barley wines and robust porters, but you don't always want one of those. Mild roastiness evolves into a smooth sweetness. An excellent winter drinking beer.
Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale
Appearance: Dark Amber fluffy off white head with large bubbles
Smell: Grassy hops with a slight hint of malt
Taste: Nice up front hops, which fade off to a smooth finish. This isn't what you'd normally expect from a winter or Christmas themed beer. This beer offers nice grassy hoppiness without being overwhelming in any way. Hoppy beers generally aren't this smooth and that's what really makes this beer fit in for the later months of the year. The hops add a bit of slickness to the mouthfeel, and the fact that it seems to disappear shortly after drinking make Rogue Santa's Private Reserve a good session beer for the winter months! Available in both 6 packs and bombers it fits in for almost any occasion and with a fun label to boot it's great to bring to your friend’s holiday parties.
Avery White Rascal 
Allagash White
Otter Creek White Sail
Later that afternoon we made the trip to Victory Brewing in Downingtown, PA with Jeff’s friend Field. Jeff’s friend, Beth, who had recommended SlyFox, was to meet us up there. Unfortunately, she was late and missed the tour. 
Saturday we were to go to Victory. We had a lot of spare time, though, as we only had one brewery on Saturday and one of Sunday. It turns out Iron Hill Brewpub is very close to Field’s house, so we went for lunch. I was feeling the effects of the trip and being out all night back in Atlanta and, while I didn’t look happy, I powered through another round of beer samples. They were delicious, and we got some tasty food. We also had a great waitress there, Weezy I believe it was, who was very knowledgeable about their beer, which was extra cool! Thanks a ton! 
We then headed off to Sweetwater Brewing. It turns out their tours are, well, more like parties really. I was basically walking into a bar where $8 gets you a pint glass (to keep) and 6 drink tickets to try their beer. Obviously a great deal! 
