By Kendell Worden, Krog General Manager
Trusting that a beer or wine will be high quality based on its high quality label is fraught. We’ve all had experiences where we realize branding is “all hat and no cattle.” Occasionally, though, style and substance go hand in hand, which is especially perfect during the holiday season. A goofy, heartwarming, or just straight festive bit of label art elevates the classic booze gift to a visual treat! Read all about a few of those on our shelves currently, and be sure to keep scrolling to learn all about a special Christmas miracle incoming this Monday. 👀🎄
Fat Orange Cat’s Santa Claws features the eponymous chonky boi stuck in a chimney, bootied paws dangling perilously close to a family’s yule log. The beer is a luscious 9.1% stout brewed with cinnamon buns. The nose is unmistakably cinnamon and vanilla, and the flavor is fudgy chocolate and sugar-spice toast. A remarkable balance is achieved among booziness, adjunct-derived flavors, and malt-derived roastiness. ($26.99/4pk)
Sycamore Christmas Cookie is - gasp! - an amber ale, a nearly extinct style in 2024. But they’ve decked it out in fairy lights and holly in the form of ginger, cinnamon, and orange peel, making it merry, spicy, and bright. The can art features the sweetest of bunnies living their absolute best wintery lives, tossing snowballs and tobogganing. ($16.99/4pk)
Prairie Artisan Ales never doesn’t come correct with their branding but Happy Y’allidays is a visual review of the coziest, comfiest Christmas cinema classics. John McClane, Gizmo the Mogwai, and, of course, the leg lamp are emblazoned upon this thoroughly yummy hazy IPA. It features an OG triad of hops (Chinook, Columbus, and Simcoe), but boasts a slightly fluffier body and more moderate bitterness than a West Coast bruiser. ($12.99/4pk)
The holiday entry in their ongoing battle royale series, Pipeworks Rudolph vs. Unicorn is an imperial (10% ABV) milk stout with peppermint. The mint is perfectly subdued, unlike the obvious beef being worked out between the two magical creatures featured on the label. Ultimately, a thiccc and boozy but well-balanced offering. ($15.99/2pk)
The label art for Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale has it all! A darling winter robin, a quote from The Bard, classy sassy banner work, and sumptuous royal purple to set off the usual Christmas palette. If you haven’t brought this one home in a while, it’s definitely time to revisit. Shockingly quaffable, this honey-amber colored brew is a masterclass in finesse and restraint. While sometimes you want to be punched in the sniffer with spices and pastry, Winter Welcome is a holiday beer that actually allows you to smell the malt and hops. ($13.99/4pk)
OTHER HALF INCOMING MONDAY 12/23
Looking for a last minute gift for those beloved hopheads in your life? You’re in luck! We’ll be getting a fresh drop of 4 never before seen IPAs from hype house OTHER HALF. Quantities are limited to secure yours now! We’re offering 4-packs PLUS a sampler variety pack featuring 1 can of each for presale starting Friday 12/20!
Green Flowers: West Coast IPA brewed with 100% malted barley and hopped with Simcoe, Chinook, Nelson Sauvin and Columbus Cryo. Candied pineapple, mild pine and citrus, fruity white wine and a touch of dankness (6.8%).
Juice Brawl: This brawler of a Hazy IPA is hopped with hand-selected Mosaic, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin and Mosaic Cryo (6.5%).
Space Broccoli: This stellar DIPA builds off the flagship Broccoli recipe with Mosaic, Simcoe, Hallertau Blanc and swaps the Cascade for a ton of Galaxy (7.9%).
Spinach: Hazy IPA packed with Citra, Mosaic, El Dorado and Nelson Sauvin (7%).
