From plate to pint, Mass. brewers use seasonal foods for holiday beers

Come the holidays, there's no shortage of local beers made with warming spices like cinnamon and clove. But Massachusetts brewers are embracing some more novel, even hearty ingredients for the season that are more often found on Christmas dinner plates than in pint glasses. As Massachusetts Brewers Guild executive director Katie Stinchon put it, “Seems like the sky's the limit.”

For a recent survey, Stinchon asked the organization's 230 members to share seasonal creations that could pair well with a holiday feast, be served as dessert, or make a good gift for a beer geek. Their responses included brews made with peppermint ice cream, sweet potatoes, maple syrup and actual apple pie. Local beers need to stand out during the holidays, Stinchon said, in part because it's a crucial time for bottom lines. “The more creative we can be, the funnier we can be, the punnier we can be, really helps.” I reached out to a few local breweries to find out more.

About a decade ago, Adam Romanow wanted to create an alternative to the spate of spiced holiday beers on the market. So the CEO and founder of Castle Island Brewing Company developed a sweet potato brown ale on his kitchen stove. “I’ve always loved cooking at home, and sweet potato is a cold-weather staple,” he said, “so it seemed like a natural fit.”

The pounds of sweet potato purée Romanow now uses don't contribute an overt flavor to beer the way hops or certain fruits do. He described his Sweet Brown as balanced, roasty and earthy with a full finish fueled by those starchy root vegetables. “There is an aromatic quality that subtly mimics toasted marshmallow, so we often get folks saying they taste sweet potato with marshmallow topping, which sounds pretty good to me.” 

The 6.5% ABV Sweet Brown is available at Castle Island's tap rooms in South Boston and Norwood, both on draft and in cans.

Idle Hands in Malden also rocks a sweet potato beer. It's an homage to a long-time regular named Ben. After volunteering to help peel piles of sweet potatoes for a previous Idle Hands brew, Ben started calling himself the Potato Manager. That's when “a legend was born,” according to Idle Hands co-founder and president Christopher Tkach.

Ben also helped prep the 240 pounds of sweet potatoes that go into a batch of what would ultimately be called Ben the Potato Manager. Tkach said its flavor profile has a malty backbone, some toffee sweetness and a silky mouthfeel. His goal was to make something that would pair well with candied yams or sweet potato casserole. The alcohol content clocks in at 8%, “so it's perfect for those long days with the in-laws," Tkach joked.

Cans of Ben the Potato Manager are available in the taproom, and Tkach said some draft is in distribution. A few cases have also been sent to Malden retailers.

“We always wanted to collaborate with our good friends at High Limb Cider,” Second Wind co-owner and general manager Kenny Semcken said. “When they moved to Plymouth, it clinched the idea for a hyper-local crossover beer we could release for our hometown's most treasured holiday.”

Their Jonathan Apple Pie Kettle Sour is "apple pie-inspired.” After fermentation, they incorporated puréed apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and vanilla bean. “The pie spices are carefully added to round out the imagination of liquid Apple Pie to one's senses without overwhelming the palate,” Semcken explained. “The vanilla bean isn't intended to stand out, but does provide the subtle hint of pie a la mode in the finish.”

Jonathan, which has an ABV of 4.7%, isn't Second Wind's first pastry-inspired beer. “You name it, we've done it,” Semcken said. “We find many people enjoy the premise of a beer tasting like something nostalgic.”

Jonathan Apple Pie Sour is available at the brewery and through wholesale partners.

Yes, Lost Shoe's Penny Loafers is made with real apple pie — crust and all. “We wanted to make a beer that would pair nicely with dessert, and what better way than to add actual dessert to it,” co-owner and head brewer JP Gallagher said of his collaboration with Penny Pinchers Brewing.

Cinnamon and vanilla amplify the dessert-like characteristics. The result is an aromatic, 8% ABV oatmeal stout.

“You definitely get the apple pie up front in the aroma and flavor, followed by a smooth mouthfeel and a sweet vanilla finish,” Gallagher said. “Part of what makes craft beer fun is to pull inspiration from the culinary arts to make beer that tastes like something else that's familiar.”

Penny Loafers is available in cans and on draught at both Lost Shoe in Marlborough and Penny Pinchers in Millbury.

For Mighty Squirrel in Waltham, our northern region's weather begs for hearty, festive ales. “Our aim with our winter ale was to encapsulate what the winter beauty of New England would taste like if it were a beer,” director of sales and marketing Adam Leibowitz said.

About a half gallon of maple syrup — sourced from Barred Woods Maple in Johnson, Vermont — goes into each keg of Mighty Squirrel's Heart and Hearth. “If you grew up here in New England, chances are you put maple syrup on everything you possibly could,” Leibowitz said. "Maple syrup in a winter ale makes total sense."

According to Leibowitz (who's also a certified cicerone), the 8.5% beer isn't overly sweet. Heart and Hearth "dances with cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar aromas on the front end," he said, and finishes smooth with sweet maple syrup notes, hints of dark cherry and light molasses. “It’s a touch warming and, of course, hearty enough to pair with any winter New England can bring.”

Heart and Hearth is available at Mighty Squirrel Brewing in Waltham and at local liquor stores.

We'd be remiss not to include Massachusetts' most iconic holiday fruit on this list. When the brewing team at Jack's Abby in Framingham was testing recipes for their tart cranberry lager, they realized something was missing. “We pulled from our own food and drink memories, and tried it with orange peel,” Rob Day, the company's vice president of marketing, recalled. “That made all of the difference.”

Day described the 4.5% ABV beer as well-balanced across tart, sweet and lightly bitter flavors. “It's a good pairing beer for heavy, fatty, carb-loaded holiday meals.”

Jack's Abby cranberry and orange lager is only sold at the beer hall in Framingham. Also available for the holidays: the French Toast Framinghammer, a 9% Baltic porter, and Toy Soldier, a 7.8% play on French Grand Cru brewed with rye, honey, ginger, nutmeg and orange peel.