Style: Bock

ABV: 5.6%

There’s nothing more horrifying than the disgusted look on your guests faces as they try a beer that you’re particularly enamored with. Ever have a time when your family wasn’t quite that impressed with the girl/guy you brought home for the first time? Yeah, it’s kind of like that. You go in thinking you’ll be the life of the party, but end up rationalizing your decision to bring that 8-9% sour to a group of Keystone drinkers.*

To avoid this embarrassment, I have a list of beers (yeah, I may have a problem) I know I could introduce to my family or non-beer drinking friends with a certain degree of success. At the top of this list for Christmas-time is Sam Adam’s Winter Lager, which earns the title of the “least offensive while not sacrificing quality” beer made in the winter months.

The best way I can think of to describe the taste of Winter Lager is to simply refer to it as a lighter version of the spiced brewed beers. Cinnamon and ginger flavors are definitely there, but it has a much smoother finish than its heavier counterparts. This is not a beer you will be sipping over the course of an hour or so – it drinks very much like a typical lager with a greater deal of flavor attached to it.

So if you’re not looking to rock the boat or otherwise come across as a complete snob, Sam Adam’s Winter Lager is a great choice for family-gatherings. Hell, it’s not even a bad choice when you need a beer for just sitting around the house with your pooch.

*File this in the “whatever makes me feel better” folder