Seasons Drinking: Top 5 Winter Beer Styles

From Imperial Stouts to Holiday Ales, these are the seasonal beers you should have on tap and why they sell when temperatures drop.

Last updated: October 1, 2026

Winter beer styles give a tap list its cold weather identity. As the winter chill sets in, fall beer styles that kicked off the season give way to heavier and more complex beers. Winter drinkers still want IPAs, but the styles that drive taproom loyalty during the holidays are darker, richer, and built around malt character with a lingering warmth.

American craft brewers lean into the festive calendar by blending seasonal spices into holiday ales. British tradition favors winter warmers that are fuller-bodied, malt-driven, and, well, warming. German brewing culture gives us the doppelbock, a strong lager built around malt complexity and patience. The styles might not share a single profile, but they each give drinkers something to look forward to all year long.

Explore five popular winter beer styles and learn the formulation decisions that can turn these offerings into seasonal best-sellers.

What Makes a Beer a "Winter Beer?"

Winter beers are malt-forward, higher-ABV ales and lagers typically running 6% to 12% ABV, defined by roast, dark fruit, warming alcohol, and in many cases spice or botanical additions give them a holiday feel.

They don't belong to a single style, they belong to a season. In most winter beers, malt does a lot of heavy lifting with darker malts contributing roast, chocolate, and dried fruit character, and caramel and crystal malts adding body and sweetness. The higher alcohol content amplifies seasonal flavor intensity and perceived warmth, and the spice and botanical additions in some styles helps to create the complexity consumers often seek out during colder months.

Hops take a different role in winter beers than they do in a summer-forward IPA. They traditionally live on the hot side, providing the bitterness that gives depth to malt-forward styles. Their job here is balance. They cut through sweetness, ground heavier malt character, or add earthy or herbal qualities. That doesn't make hop selection less important, it means it requires precision.

1. Imperial Stout

Imperial stouts are high-ABV, deeply complex, and built to be savored. Most fall between 8% and 12% ABV, with flavor profiles anchored in coffee, dark chocolate, and roasted malt. These are often taproom and special release styles that drive destination visits, repeat traffic, and the kind of word-of-mouth that builds a winter reputation for small breweries.

The formulation challenge is balance. An imperial stout is easy to push too far toward roast or sweetness, and either direction makes the beer harder to finish. Derek Gold of WeldWerks Brewing, whose barrel-aged imperial stouts have taken gold at the Great American Beer Festival, shoots for roasty malts with coffee, chocolate, and vanilla notes, and away from what he describes as an "ashtray-type vibe." Sean Buchan of Cerebral Brewing wants a balance of body, sweetness, roast, and bitterness, and he says more malt isn't always the answer.¹

When it comes to hop selection, high-alpha varieties on the hot side provide the bitterness structure that keeps a heavy grist from feeling one-dimensional. Roasted malts contribute their own perceived bitterness, so hops and malt need to be calibrated against each other to achieve the balance the style demands.

For brewers whose customers lean toward lighter beers, Irish Stouts are a strong alternative. They deliver the roast and coffee character of bigger stouts with far less alcohol content (typically 4–5%) and a dry, sessionable finish that broadens your winter lineup.

Irish and imperial stouts tend to reward creative flavor decisions. Vanilla Custard can round out roast and give stouts a dessert-reminiscent depth. Ginger is more at home in imperial stouts where it adds a bite of spice that cuts through residual sweetness and reinforces the lingering warmth. 

2. Doppelbock

Doppelbock is a technically demanding lager style and one of the most rewarding. Most fall between 7% and 10% ABV, with flavor profiles built around toasted bread, dark fruit, and deep malt complexity. Importantly, these styles are held together by a restrained sweetness that never becomes overwhelming. 

John Trogner, Co-Founder and Brewmaster of Tröegs Independent Brewing, says great doppelbocks are malty, but bright, which is “super challenging.” Ryan Murphy, Head Brewer at Schilling Beer Co., targets deep malt character with toasted bread and gentle dark fruit, with very little or no caramel, and a sweetness that doesn't linger. The style punishes under-attenuation, since an under-fermented doppelbock goes cloyingly sweet fast with no room to correct it after the fact.²

Noble and noble-derived hop varieties that are restrained, soft, and round can provide just enough bitterness to keep residual sweetness in check. Tom Beckmann, Owner and Brewer at Goldfinger Brewing, describes drinkability as "the holy grail" of a big lager, and the hop bill is a significant part of what makes or breaks it. As Trogner puts it, hops are "a big controller of the beer's texture" and they shouldn't get in the way of the malt.²

What hops can't do is build the dark and stone fruit aromatics that define some of the best doppelbocks. That character comes traditionally from malts that produce the plum, apricot, and dried fruit notes the style is known for. A measured Apricot addition at the cold side can amplify and sharpen what the malt is already doing.

Above almost anything else, doppelbock rewards process patience. Lagering for a minimum of six weeks, and up to ten, is where the rough edges smooth and the malt complexity comes into focus. That’s a constraint for small breweries with limited tank space, but the style's taproom credibility and seasonal pull make it a worthwhile addition to your winter lineup.

Breweries without the space for extended lagering should consider a Wee Heavy, aka the Scotch Ale. This style covers much of the same malt-forward, warming territory with notes of toffee, dried fruit, and caramel. Most importantly, it doesn’t come with a lagering commitment. Scotch ales are a practical alternative for breweries that want the sensory experience of a big winter malt beer without tying up cold conditioning space through the holidays.

3. Winter Warmer

Winter warmer is one of the more loosely defined styles, and brewers should interpret that as an invitation to get creative. Rooted in the British strong ale tradition, it typically runs 5.5% to 8% ABV, with a rich malt character, red-brown color, and the warming finish that defines its namesake. What separates it from a holiday ale is the intent. Winter warmers lead with malt and warmth, and holiday ales tend to lead with a bit of spice.

Fal Allen, who spent two decades brewing Anderson Valley's highly regarded Winter Solstice before becoming head brewer at Napali Brewing, describes the target as "roundness and sweetness — something more contemplative than a regular beer." That roundness comes from colored malts that build deep, dark fruit character without adding roast. Hops are present but supportive and mainly provide balance. Allen recommends English varieties to maintain the beer’s malt-forward identity.³

The spice question is where brewers can go overboard. Megan Rayfield, Quality Manager at Highland Brewing, says it's easy to go too far with cinnamon and you can't fix it once it's in the beer. Her advice is to start conservative and build up gradually.³

Restraint is important, but a clear point of view matters just as much with this style. A small dose of Spruce Tips can contribute a resinous, evergreen quality that tastes and smells unmistakably wintry without the same holiday spice territory most brewers default to. For small breweries looking to differentiate their seasonal offerings, committing to that kind of recognizable profile can build a dedicated following.

4. Holiday Ale

Holiday ale is a category defined by seasonal intent and it’s not necessarily a fixed style. What one brewery calls a Christmas ale, a second calls a spiced seasonal ale, and a third simply calls a limited winter release based on an existing beer. They’re commonly darker, stronger ales with spice and holiday character, and they’re generally above 6% ABV. 

The BJCP's Style Guidelines say Winter Seasonal Beers “suggest cold weather and the Christmas holiday season, and may include holiday spices, specialty sugars, and other products that are reminiscent of the festive season.”⁴ You can see why the range of beers that brewers actually call “holiday ales” is so broad.

Michael Williams, Brand Coordinator and Advanced Cicerone at Great Lakes Brewing, says the best holiday beers celebrate what a brewer does best.⁵ For example, Josh Weikert’s holiday ale recipe in Craft Beer & Brewing uses his Irish red as the base and infuses it with cranberry and rosemary.⁶ From fresh-hop IPAs to spiced chocolate stouts, all are legitimate holiday ales as long as the seasonal addition defines the drinking experience. 

Spices are where brewers most often lose that balance, regardless of base style. Spices behave differently depending on when and how they're added, and intensity can shift significantly during fermentation and conditioning. What tastes good going into the fermenter can taste overly aggressive in the finished beer. 

Cardamom is one of the more rewarding spices in a holiday ale, but also one of the trickiest to calibrate with raw additions. Its combination of floral spice, bright citrus, and warmth can add complexity, but its aromatic compounds are volatile enough that dosing rates from whole pods or ground spice vary batch to batch. A TTB-approved cold-side Cardamom addition lets brewers dial in that character without the variability.

5. Baltic Porter

Baltic porters are typically lager-fermented, cold-conditioned, and much higher strength compared to more sessionable English porters. Most fall between 6.5% and 9.5% ABV, with a flavor profile built on dark fruit, molasses, and subtle roast. They’re rich and complex without the sharp bitterness of an imperial stout. Tony Porreca, Production Manager at Bent Water Brewing, says "People think dark beer has to be bitter, roasty, or sweet, but Baltic porter takes it to the other end."⁷

The goal is dark fruit and subtle roast dialed in tightly enough that a 9% beer doesn't drink like one. Jonathan Moxey, Head Brewer at Rockwell Beer Company (whose Baltic porter Kazimierz won gold at the Great American Beer Festival) looks for licorice, tobacco, and dark dried fruit. Where an imperial stout is intense and viscous, Baltic porter offers "more room for delicacy and nuance while still having something bold."⁷ It’s about making a beer that drinkers want eight to sixteen ounces of, not just five.

Lager fermentation is what makes that possible. Clean, neutral yeast character at lower fermentation temperatures keeps the dark malt notes from turning harsh or astringent, letting the fruit and molasses character fully develop. Hops balance residual sweetness and add structure, but they’re not prominent. 

The dried cherry, raisin, fig, and prune character common in this style comes from specialty malts. A measured Red Cherry addition at the cold side can amplify and sharpen those notes with consistency.

The tank time commitment may deter small breweries with limited cold conditioning space. Porreca says anything under six weeks of lagering doesn't taste mature, and Moxey's Kazimierz spent three months in an oak foeder before earning its GABF medal. The upside is that Baltic porter occupies an underserved position in most local tap lineups, so a well-executed version will quickly stand out.

Can You Make Non Alcoholic Winter Beers?

Yes. Non-alcoholic dark beer and non-alcoholic stouts are among the fastest-growing segments in craft brewing, and winter is where these styles shine. The formulation requirements are tricky, though.

The styles that define the season rely heavily on alcohol for warmth, mouthfeel, and the viscosity that makes them feel substantial. Stripping the alcohol out or brewing to low ABV doesn't just reduce the number on the label. It removes a significant portion of the sensory architecture that makes a winter beer feel like one. Malt sweetness and roast character can survive the process reasonably well, but the warming finish, the weight, and the aromatic complexity that fermentation and conditioning develop over weeks are harder to preserve.

NA beers are still very much worth pursuing for your winter lineup, though. Athletic Brewing's Winter Wonder, a 0.5% ABV seasonal described as featuring warming notes of spice, mulled apple, and orange peel with hints of cinnamon and cardamom, demonstrates that a well-formulated NA winter ale can still carry genuine seasonal character.⁸ 

Spice additions can do much of the structural work that alcohol would otherwise provide, and the same spice calibration principles that apply in a full-strength holiday ale apply here. There’s just significantly less room for error since there’s no alcohol warmth to soften over-additions.

For craft brewers developing non-alcoholic dark beers or non-alcoholic stouts, TTB-approved herb and spice flavors are precision formulation tools. Cardamom, Ginger, and Spruce Tips can contribute sensations that are similar to those that alcohol provides (warmth, bitterness, dryness, and finish length).

Hop aroma is already secondary in most full-strength winter styles, and that's equally true in their NA counterparts. In styles like NA Baltic Porter or NA dark lager, a measured dose of Saaz Quantum can contribute the earthy, herbal, and subtle spice character that defines malt-forward European styles, while Chinook Quantum can bring resinous, piney depth to darker styles.

Brew Best-Selling Winter Beers with Abstrax

Building a winter tap list that inspires drinkers to come back throughout the cold winter months takes more than darkening your malt bill and calling it seasonal. The styles that build a following do it through flavor precision, seasonal identity, and formulation decisions that hold up batch after batch.

That's the kind of problem we solve at Abstrax.

The Quantum Series and Skyfarm Series give craft brewers the tools to dial in hop aroma, spice character, and botanical complexity with consistency from your first bench trial through every batch of the season.

If you're ready to start benchtop testing or talk through winter formulation goals, contact us today and let's get to work.

References

1. Albanese, A. (2023, November 14). Imperial stout: Experts explain wide ranges to create a great one. Ollie. https://getollie.com/blog/imperial-stout-experts-explain-wide-ranges-to-create-a-great-one 

2. Albanese, A. (2024, October 15). Doppelbock: experts explain how to make a great one. Ollie. https://getollie.com/blog/doppelbock-brewing-guide 

3. Albanese, A. (2024, November 12). Winter warmer: how to bring the heat during the cold months. Ollie. https://getollie.com/blog/winter-warmer-ales-brewing-guide 

4. Strong, G. (Ed.). (2021). BJCP beer style guidelines (Version 1.25). Beer Judge Certification Program. https://www.bjcp.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2021_Guidelines_Beer_1.25.pdf 

5. Albanese, A. (2024, December 10). Christmas Ale: A Style to Bring Out the Holiday Joy. Ollie. https://getollie.com/blog/christmas-ale-brewing-guide 

6. Weikert, J. (2017, November 26). Make your best: holiday ale. Craft Beer & Brewing. https://www.beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-holiday-ale 

7. Albanese, A. (2024, December 17). Baltic porter: raising the bar on a classic style. Ollie. https://getollie.com/blog/how-to-brew-baltic-porter 

8. Athletic Brewing Company. (n.d.). Winter Wonder [Product page]. Athletic Brewing Company. https://athleticbrewing.com/products/winter-wonder