Must-Try Holiday Beers in Winston-Salem

The holiday season is here, meaning it's time to sip, savor, and be merry. Breweries across Winston-Salem are serving up pints of good cheer in the form of holiday beers and seasonal releases. From winter warmers to spicy ales, boozy stouts to chocolate porters, here's a sampling of some of the top holiday beers to try this season.

Merry World Breakfast Stout from Wise Man 
Warm, rich, and decidedly merry, this beloved seasonal stout from Wise Man Brewing is made with locally roasted coffee beans from Krankies Coffee, giving it a complex dark chocolate profile and a toasty finish. In addition to the standard Merry World Breakfast Stout, Wise Man makes a Merry World Breakfast Stout with peanut butter. Both are available in late November, along with several other seasonal selections, including its spiced winter ale Winter Wave. Stop by the brewery to sample them all.

Frostbite Winter Black IPA from Foothills Brewing
As the "official beer of Jack Frost," this hugely popular seasonal can be found at grocery stores and bottle shops throughout the Southeast as well as Foothills' two in-town breweries. Blending select dark malts with bright citrusy hops, Frostbite features notes of dark chocolate, orange, and lemon peel, culminating in a big blast of flavor. Foothills has two locations in Winston-Salem. Foothills Brewpub is at 638 W 4th St. (downtown) and Foothills Tasting Room is at 3800 Kimwell Drive

Nitro Cherrywood Smoked Porter from Joymongers
As the name implies, Joymongers is all about joy. This is especially true during the holidays when you'll find a festive mix of flavors on tap, from the subtly spicy Spicecraft Saison to the malty-sweet Wee Bit Scottish Export. But for something unique, order up the Nitro Cherrywood Smoked Porter, available annually around Thanksgiving. The beer takes a robust porter foundation and infuses it with smoky depth thanks to the cherrywood-smoked malt; the perfect pick-me-up on a long winter's night.

Lunar Handshake from Lesser-Known
The Moravians who founded Winston-Salem knew a thing or two about beer. In fact, they founded the state's first microbrewery here some 250 years ago. Lesser-Known Beer Co. celebrates this lesser-known aspect of Moravian culinary history with several Moravian-inspired beers, including its popular seasonal offering Lunar Handshake (5% ABV). Brewed with Moravian Pilsner and specialty malts, this dark lager offers toffee, caramel, and toasted pumpernickel microtones. (Also, in addition to Lunar Handshake, Lesser-Known offers 13°, a Czech-Inspired Polotmavy amber lager delicately laced with spice notes. 

Black Friday beers at Incendiary Brewing
Christmas comes early at Incendiary Brewing Co. Each Black Friday, the brewery unveils nearly a dozen unique stouts and porters as part of its annual Black Friday Stout Release. "We love making brews infused with vanilla beans, chocolate, or cinnamon for some warm and toasty winter sippers," says Chris Straus, Incendiary's taproom manager. In addition to the various stouts, Incendiary offers a Holiday Spiced Imperial Blonde Ale — a high-gravity, holiday-spiced version of their standard blonde ale. All beers at Incendiary are available in draft and canned/bottled form for customers to take home. (Stocking stuffers, anyone?)

Ass Over Tea Kettle from Fiddlin’ Fish
Inspired by Russian Tea, this seasonal favorite from Fiddlin' Fish Brewing Co. is an amber colored ale brewed with cinnamon, clove, lemon peel, and blood orange. It's quite boozy (9.75 ABV%), yet super easy to drink, delivering the warm fuzzies with each sip. "It just hits that nostalgic sensory effect," said one reviewer. "I don't even know how to describe it -- spicy?" Fiddlin' Fish co-owner Stuart Barnhardt offers a more succinct summary. "It’s Christmas in a glass!”

CRAFT DRAFT CRAWLIN' FOR CHRISTMAS

With nine breweries in and around downtown, it's easy to plan a DIY holiday brewery adventure in Winston-Salem. Check out our Craft Draft Crawl itinerary to start making your wishlist.