Tis the season to be jolly, and nothing makes the fa-la-la-la-la’s quite as merry as a frothy glass of holiday ale. In celebration of the season, Whole Foods Market has teamed up again with yours truly to co-host a virtual beer tasting LIVE on Twitter.

On Dec. 18 from 7-8 p.m. CST, join Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) and myself (@TheBeerWench) as we chat about favorite holiday beers, cooking with holiday beer recipes, and holiday beer pairings. Simultaneously taste four unique and festive ales while tweeting alongside the folks behind the breweries that make them.

To participate, pick up one or all of the featured holiday beers and tweet your experience using the hashtag #WFMBeer. Every 15 minutes, the focus of the tasting will shift to a different beer. The schedule is as follows.

• 6:00 p.m. PST: New Belgium (@newbelgium) Snow Day
• 6:15 p.m. PST: Bison (@bisonbrew) Gingerbread Ale
• 6:30 p.m. PST: 21^st Amendment (@21stAmendment) Fireside Chat
• 6:45 p.m. PST: Deschutes (@DeschutesBeer) Jubelale

Whether spent cuddling next to the fireplace, entertaining a household of family and friends, or airing your grievances around the Festivus pole, these festive winter ales are sure to bring extra sparkle to your holiday season.

If you can’t find one of the recommended beers above, simply ask your local Whole Foods Market beer specialist to make a holiday beer recommendation and then join the conversation on Twitter. Don’t forget the hashtag #WFMBeer.

And don’t for get to leave one of these beers out for Santa – rumor has it, he loves craft beer too.

Participation is limited to those 21 years or older.

Whenever I come across a spiced beer, fruit beer or specialty beer — the wheels in my little brain start turning and I think of ways that I can cook with it. Case and point — My new friend Dan Del Grande, brewer and owner of Bison Brewing Company, gave my some samples of his latest release — the Bison Brewing Co. GINGERBREAD ALE.

This beer screams Autumn. It is a refreshing take on an Autumnal spiced beer. During this season, the majority of craft brewers are either producing a pumpkin ale or a Marzen/Oktoberfest-style beer. Some brewers, such as Bison Brewing, are stepping outside of the box and brewing different styles for the season.

Bison GINGERBREAD ALE is a porter spiced with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. The first pairing that came to mind was a nice hearty Roasted Butternut Squash soup. But pairing the beer with the soup was not compelling enough for The Wench. Oh no. So I decided to make my own very special Roasted Butternut Squash soup using Bison GINGERBREAD Ale as an ingredient.

And surprisingly, it worked. It worked very well.

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles of Bison Brewing Gingerbread Ale (spiced porter)
• 2 (very large) Butternut Squash — peeled and diced
• 1 large yellow onion — peeled and roughly chopped
• 6 cloves of Garlic (I know this sounds like a lot, but half of them will be roasted) — peeled and roughly minced
• Raw Ginger — peeled and roughly minced
• 6 TBSP unsalted butter
• 4 TBSP 100% natural maple syrup
• Salt & cracked pepper
• Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Melt 6 ounces of the unsalted butter. In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash cubes with the melted butter. Add 2 TBPS 100% maple syrup and toss. Put butternut squash cubes onto 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle the cubes with salt, cinnamon and fresh cracked pepper (to taste preference).



3. Roast butternut squash for 30 minutes — or until soft.
4. In a large sauce pan, melt 2 TSPB butter on medium heat. Add minced raw garlic & raw ginger. Sautee for about a minute. Add the roughly chopped yellow onions. Sautee in the butter until golden brown.



5. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth, 1/4 cups raw cane sugar & 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat. Add salt, cinnamon and fresh cracked pepper. Allow mixture to simmer for 10 minutes (in order to allow the garlic and ginger to release more flavor into the broth). Add 2 bottles of Bison Brewing Gingerbread ALE. Bring to a boil.



6. Add butternut squash to the pot.



7. In small batches, blend the butternut squash mixture and pour into a different pot until the whole mix is blended. TASTE. At this point … Personally, I added 1/4 cup of maple syrup and lots of cracked black pepper as well as salt.
8. Serve with Bison GINGERBREAD ALE (and fresh bread if desired). ENJOY!!!
   

Bison Brewing Company is one of the ONLY 100% USDA certified ORGANIC breweries in the United States. I recently discovered them when I moved to Northern California — as they are based out of Berkeley. I was lucky enough to cross paths with Dan Del Grande, head brewer and owner of Bison Brewing, on his way back from the brewery with the first batch of this year’s GINGERBREAD ALE.

THE WENCH’S TASTING NOTES:

BISON BREWING GINGERBREAD ALE

• DETAILS: Porter. 6% ABV. Organic malt, organic hops, water, yeast & organic spices.
• APPEARANCE: Cloudy, dark amber brown color. Frothy off-white head with tiny bubbles. Moderate lacing.
• AROMA: Dark malts, chocolate malts, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar.
• TASTE: Roasted dark malts, chocolate malts — very dry, spices are present but subdued.
• MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied, very dry w/ long lasting (dry) finish.
• OVERALL: This beer is extremely well balanced. Despite its dark color and rich appearance, it is not too heavy and easy to drink (almost too easy for its own good). Perfect for cool Autumn. I recently opened this beer for breakfast. It is awesome…

BIG THANKS TO DAN DEL GRANDE AND BISON BREWING!!! CHEERS!!!