Over the past decade the beer world has been growing and changing at an incredible pace. Today it’s difficult even for me, a beer columnist and owner of a beer specialty store, to keep up with all of the new products being released each month. There are so many beers available that it’s almost impossible to taste them all.
Part of the allure of drinking craft beer is constantly having something new to choose from. But after a while, chasing what’s new also gets tiring. Not everything new turns out to be good, and amid the pace of trying to keep up with the latest, I tend to forget excellent beers I’ve had in the past. Every once in a while I have to take a break and revisit old favorites.
Speaking of looking back, I’ve just realized that in the nearly three years of writing this column, I’ve never mentioned an English beer. That’s amazing, considering the long history of brewing in England and how many of America’s original craft breweries adapted classic English-style beers to start the craft-beer renaissance here.
At Village Bottle Shoppe we received a shipment of a winter classic from a storied brewery in England earlier this month. I knew I had to recommend it.
Samuel Smith’s Brewery in Tadcaster in northern England has been brewing beer since 1758 and has held onto many of its traditions. Water is still pulled from the original well. Beer is still fermented in square stone vessels rather than the stainless-steel closed conicals commonly used today. Deliveries are still made via horse-drawn carriages within Tadcaster.
While American breweries thrive on change, it’s good to know tradition and consistency are paramount at Samuel Smith and old favorites will never change.
One of those favorites is Winter Welcome, a classic winter warmer beer perfect for cooler nights and holiday meals. Winter Welcome is a modest 6 percent alcohol by volume that nonetheless has enough body and strength to warm you up. Unlike many American winter ales, this one does not use spice. It’s an amber beer full of toasted bread and light caramel notes with a fantastic full body. The warm malty flavors make this a pleasing cool-night drink, yet a delicate hops presence keeps it from being overly sweet.
Winter Welcome is also a great beer to pair with any holiday dinner. The flavors go nicely with classics such as turkey, gravy and stuffing, making it a great addition to Thanksgiving dinner. An added bonus: At just over $5 a bottle, this offering won’t hurt your pocketbook.
So the next time you’re browsing the beer aisle for something new, consider checking out something that’s been around a long while. After all, tradition never goes out of style.
Tim Golden, a certified cicerone, is part owner of Village Bottle Shoppe in Kakaako. See his blog, “Beer in Hawaii,” at beerinhawaii.com.