1. K-9 Winter Ale, Flying Dog Brewery
4607 Wedgewood Blvd, Frederick, MD 21703
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They call it winter warmer for a reason. K-9 Cruiser is the perfect beer to cozy up with by the fire, with or without an attractive companion.
2. Pumpkin Hunter, Devils Backbone Brewing Company
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This frighteningly delicious ale is orange amber in color with subtle pumpkin sweetness. Enjoy the warming flavor and aroma of pumpkin pie in a glass. You’ll lose your head over this one!
3. Hardywood Rye Whiskey Barrel Pumpkin, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
2408 Ownby Lane, Richmond, Virginia 23220
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Hardywood Rye Whiskey Barrel Pumpkin combines the nostalgic flavors and aromas of autumn with a soul warming, rye whiskey laced finish that can only be achieved through months of maturation in Jim Beam rye whiskey barrels. Pleasantly mellow up front with a crescendo of pumpkin pie spice giving way to subtly sweet, lingering brown sugar and rye whiskey notes, this beer might just bring new meaning to Thanksgiving.
4. Peg Leg, Heavy Seas Beer
4615 Hollins Ferry Rd Ste B, Baltimore, Maryland 21227
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This full-bodied imperial stout pours an opaque mahogany color with a tan head. Its smell is dominated by notes of roasted coffee beans, with a slight hint of chocolate, but Simcoe and Fuggles hops add complexity to the aroma. The roasted barley is detectable in the taste, and this complements the bitterness from the Warrior hops—balancing out the sweetness from the load of malts used in brewing Peg Leg. A creamy mouthfeel makes this a smooth, utterly drinkable beer.
5. Snow Blind, Starr Hill Brewery
5391 3 Notch’d Rd, Crozet, VA 22932
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Snow Blind Doppelbock Lager is a full-bodied winter seasonal brew. Its massive caramel aroma belies its fresh and lightly toasted malt flavor. Sweetness dominates the front of the pallet while the beer finishes with a neutral lager taste that is clean and crisp. Snow Blind is smooth and will keep you warm throughout the winter months.
6. Red Nun, O’Connor Brewing Co.
211 West 24th St, Norfolk, VA 23517
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Photo: O’Connor Brewing Co.
Named after the nautical term for the red buoy that helps guide ships back to port, the Red Nun Red Ale is our interpretation of an Irish Red Ale. It has a robust malt backbone with a kiss of hops to create balance within the profile.
7. Jacques Au Lantern, Evolution Brewing
201 E Vine St, Salisbury, Maryland 21804
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This fall seasonal is an unfiltered amber ale brewed with pumpkin and spices. They add roasted pumpkin to the mash and traditional pumpkin pie spices to the kettle, and then ferment with a Belgian yeast strain.
8. Tidings® Ale, Port City Brewing Company
3950 Wheeler Ave, Alexandria, VA 22304
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Tidings® Ale is a strong Belgian style blond ale is brewed with local Maryland wildflower honey and Virginia wheat. These special local ingredients store away the flavors and essence of summer, and later warm us during the cold winter months. It is gently spiced with coriander, cardamom, fresh ginger and grains of paradise.
9. Colossus, DuClaw Beers
8901 Yellow Brick Rd, Baltimore, Maryland 21237
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Colossus is dark amber in color and full-bodied with a perceptively sweet flavor profile accented by notes of apple, and a surprisingly tame alcohol presence on the palate in light of its staggering 17.3% abv.
10. Beach Stormer, Young Veterans Brewing Company
2505 Horse Pasture Rd Suite 104, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23453
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Photo: Young Veterans Brewing Company
Named for the brave men that stormed the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944. Black in color with an aroma of roasted coffee and cocoa, with a smooth and rich mouthfeel, this extremely bold ale finishes bitter and strong. Harness your inner Beach Stormer to advance a pint of this sharp shooter.
11. Chessie, Union Craft Brewing
1700-D Union Ave, Baltimore, Maryland 21211
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Packed with nearly 2,000 lbs. of malted barley per batch and generously hopped in the kettle and in post-fermentation, this legendary barleywine-style ale has layers of complex flavor to wash over your palate. Drink her fresh to experience all the hoppy, bitter goodness of the dank and piney Columbus and Centennial hops or let her retire to the depths of your cellar to later reveal her dark fruit and rich malt character.
12. Magella Belgian Dark Strong Ale, Parkway Brewing Co
Salem, Virginia
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Photo: www.fearandloafingva.com
Magella is a Belgian Dark Abbey Ale that the Brew Master Ryan Worthington created in honor of his wife Jessica. Magella is brewed in the typical Belgian fashion, with candy sugar and Belgian hops, malt and yeast. It’s the clove, with hints of banana, that dominate the flavor and aroma of this rich, ruby brown beer.
13. WolfINstein Russian Imperial Stout, Wild Wolf Brewing Company
2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy, Nellysford, Virginia 22958
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Normally brewed just once a year, WolfINstein is an amped up stout that is all about more malt, more hops and more flavor! This beer is velvety smooth and well rounded, with an abundance of chocolate, roast coffee and malt flavors that are backed up by a seriously hoppy finish.
14. “Oats McGoats” Oatmeal Stout, Three Notch’d Brewing Company
946 Grady Avenue, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
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This delicious stout recipe won a Bronze medal at the 2014 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup! It is a rich and hearty oatmeal stout with a flavor of semi-sweet baking chocolate. This is the base to their beloved Espresso Stout before the addition of coffee.
15. Winter Scotch Ale, St. George Brewing Company
204 Challenger Way, Hampton, Virginia 23666
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Photo: www.beeradvocate.com
Winter Scotch Ale is a malty, full bodied ale with a delicate hop effect allowing wisps of peat smoked malt interwoven with a slight roastiness to come through.
16. Slainte Stout, Corcoran Brewing Co.
Purcellville, VA
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Less heavy than your typical stout, with a smooth chocolate finish. Non stout drinkers will be pleasantly surprised with this ale.
17. Gnosis, Right Proper Brewing Company
624 T St NW, Washington, DC 20001
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This tripel is a tribute to the monastic brewing tradition. It was in the monasteries of Europe that the secret knowledge of brewing was perfected and alchemy wed divinity.
18. Cheeky Monkey, Chaos Mountain Brewing
3135 Dillons Mill Rd, Callaway, Virginia
Website | Facebook | Photo: Chaos FB
This Belgian blonde ale is extra malty with fruity notes and a dry finish.
19. La Saison Des Fêtes, Atlas Brew Works
2052 West Virginia Ave NE #102, Washington, DC 20002
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A warming winter Belgian ale straight from the farmhouse to your fireside.
20. Long Snout Stout, Baying Hound Aleworks
1108 Taft St, Rockville, Maryland 20850
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Long Snout Stout is a little different than most commercial stouts out there, this is on the rich, dark and toasty side. “Drink a few of these and try to say the name three times fast.”
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy 10 Great Virginia Beers To Taste This Weekend and 10 Virginia Beers To Try This Fall
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