This year's edition is a porter, brewed true to style except for the tangy flavor of juniper. At just 30 barrels brewed per season, Hinterland Winterland is truly a limited release. Jeff Charnick, head brewer at Boston's Commonwealth Brewery, makes a true English Special Old Ale, with a malt body that's sinuous from long cellaring. Brewers have fun making these muscular brews because they can experiment with flavors and spices. As a brewmaster, it was my chance each year to be creative with exotic malts and aromatics.
Some barley wines transcend their roots in the winter season and are brewed for special occasions.
By contrast, the brewery's seasonal Holiday Spice Lager is brewed with honey, orange peel and spices, and makes a very potent partner to Beer Line. Sprecher Brewery makes a satisfying Winter Lager modeled after a dark Munich bock, but not as thick and unctuous as its 1999 Barley Wine. Like Sprecher, some breweries also produce winter warmers that are not as overpowering as their barley wines. Though several notches weaker than the brewery's Bigfoot Barley Wine, Celebration Ale is immensely drinkable and smooth. Full Sail Brewing Co. of Hood River, Oregon, gets name recognition for its hoppy winter warmer, the Wassail Winter Ale, but its 1999 Old Boardhead Barley Wine is the mahogany-hued beauty of a big beer.