There are many remedies geared towards fighting off Old Man Winter but the ones I hold near and dear come packed with herbs, spices and high alcohol content. That’s right; I’m referring to winter warmers and wassails. I can’t say I’m familiar with any published or set guidelines defining exactly what a winter warmer is but if you check the beer displays from most well-stocked stores, you might be surprised at the number of seasonal beers that include this term in the name or elsewhere on the label. While a winter warmer is typically malty and sweet, wassails usually have spices added to the hearty malt backbone. Both come in a range of colors from brownish reds to nearly pitch black.
So let’s get started.
