This is the beer avid Sierra Nevada fans eagerly look forward to every year. As soon as it hits store shelves, they’re quickly snapped up. Upon the first pour, you’ll see this is something special. It’s a deep reddish-amber color, with a thick, rich lingering head. Both the aroma and flavor are dominated by a pronounced pine note with hints of citrus, floral and caramel lingering in the background. If you love old school IPAs, full of intense fresh hop flavors, you’ll want to grab this before it’s gone.

If you’re looking for Christmas in a pint glass, you won’t be disappointed! Those warm winter spices hit you early on and they linger when you taste it. Yes, this beer touts cranberry but it certainly doesn’t overpower. It’s well balanced and is a unique offering for your next holiday party.

If you like fruit-forward beers, this offering from Toppling Goliath will be right up your alley. It’s bright red appearance emphases the dominant flavor of cranberry but don’t think this is a one trick pony here. Flavors of warm holiday spices and fresh tart apple quickly follow to give this beer a lot of complexity. For those familiar with Wassel, this could be viewed in the same vane.

If you’re looking for something more on the dark side this holiday, Lakefront Brewery has created a dark, smooth porter with a lot of complexity not usually found in porters. A pronounced vanilla aroma comes through first followed by dark chocolate, coffee and something akin to cream soda. With a slightly thin body, you’ll be able to enjoy more than one in a sitting.

Unlike other holiday-focused beers, Bell’s Christmas Ale doesn’t add any warm holiday spices, fruit or other ingredients. Their unique toasted, toffee flavor comes from the barley grown and malted specifically for Bell’s in Michigan. A blend of hops gives this Scotch ale a nice backbone to stand up to a lot of holiday foods.

This beer plays it close to the vest, not revealing a lot when you pour it out. The aroma is mild but the flavor is anything but. Lots of warm spices, honey and a surprising note of ginger come through strong but in a balanced way. Thoughts of fruitcake pop to mind, but fruitcake in a good way, with notes of malt, yeast and grains coming through nicely.

Samuel Adams fans can rejoice as their seasonal favorite, Old Fezziwig, returns to this variety pack of holiday beers after being notoriously absent last year. It’s joined by their Winter Lager, Holiday White Ale, New Cold IPA, Black Lager and their iconic Boston Lager. Some of these offerings are only available in this variety pack, making demand for it pretty high. This pack is a must-have for your next holiday party as it gives a wide variety of options for all different taste preferences.