Not surprisingly, beers known as winter warmers are made for cold weather. And though there’s no specific style or ingredients, they’re usually higher in alcohol, and often darker and more robust in flavor
Also not surprisingly, American versions tend to make use of more hops, especially American hops. Boulevard’s Nutcracker is a good example of that.
And with winter on my mind, Nutcracker is this week’s Beer Pick.
Beer Pick
Nutcracker Winter Warmer
Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Available seasonally on draft and in 12-ounce bottles
Profile
A stalwart seasonal winter warmer from Boulevard, Nutcracker, uses Cascade, Chinook and Magnum hops, with a variety of malts, and brown sugar to produce a hearty amber ale with a balance of spicy and sweet caramel flavors and aromas. At 7.8% alcohol, it’s big, but too big, and the pleasant bitterness is perfectly integrated into the flavor profile.
Pair with
Boulevard suggests pairing Nutcracker with aged cheddar, bacon beer cheese soup, braised beef, and bread pudding. I recently sipped it with Mexican wedding cookies with pecans and it was sublime.
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