During the month of December, Beer Pick is all about classic and favorite seasonal and holiday beers.

This week, it’s Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale, an all-time favorite that I’ve written about many times. But now it’s finally available on draft in the U.S., though in limited release for a limited time.

Recently, it was on on tap at Brick Store Pub in Decatur. And served in a proper Samuel Smith’s pint glass, it was soft and utterly sublime.

Look for it around metro Atlanta at bars, restaurants and grower shops, including (maybe) Melton’s App & Tap, Parish, Shakespeare Tavern, Thinking Man Tavern and the Tap on Ponce.

And if you don’t find it on draft this year, you can still find it in festive bottles at package stores.

Beer Pick

Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale

Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Tadcaster, UK

Available in "Victorian Pint" bottles, 12-ounce 4-pack bottles, and on draft for a limited time

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As I’ve said before, Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome is a winter ale that conjures Shakespeare and Dickens, and brings a bit of English tradition to the holiday season.

The amber color, creamy head, and floral aromas of Fuggle and Golding hops are balanced by caramel malt flavors and the brewery’s distinctive fruity note in the finish. If you can find it on draft, it’s a soft and sublime sipper for a session at the pub.

Pair with

Samuel Smith’s recommends pairing Winter Welcome with roast goose (really), smoked turkey with oyster dressing, rack of lamb, candied yams, Smithfield ham, fresh pears and apples, Christmas cake, and, of course, mince pie.

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