ABV 8.5% IBU 23 SRM 30

Chances are unless you have been to Germany you might not have had a traditional Weihnachts Bier. Pronounce veye-nuchts-beer, the name comes from the German word for Christmas, Weihnachten. This beer is traditionally seen during the advent, or 4 weeks before Christmas in Germany and is gaining popularity in the US. The huge malt bill creates a high ABV, great for warming up on those cold winter nights.

Being a traditional German beer, it only seems fitting that Grimm Brothers Brewhouse made one for the 2012 holiday season. Their Weihnachts Bier is a weizenbock style, brewed with dark munich malt. While it can be mistaken as a simple dark wheat, the high ABV set it apart. According to Grimm Brothers, the style of beer was originally brewed as a reflection of doppelbocks, and wasn’t brewed until 1907.

The Grimm Brothers version is a dark copper red hue with obvious clouds from the large amount of malt. A big aroma gives you a hit of banana and a slight spicy-ness of cloves. This is because of the weizen yeast being used for fermentation. The combination of the yeast and malt produce a dried fruit taste, of raisins or dates. With a bit of a tart finish on the end at first, it goes away as you sip down the glass. The beer leaves a nice lacing from the creamy tan head.

I tried this beer in both a bomber at the Hops for Hope event hosted by American Eagle Distributors and also on draft in the taproom. The bomber version was much more appealing to me, because as I got the end of the bottle it had warmed and opened up. Let this one warm up before you let it warm you up. Make sure you check it out on draft and in bombers, being released Wednesday December 5.

You can find more about Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, holiday beers, and beer education and events on Lauren Hoff’s site, www.NapaofBeer.com.