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.

Another awesome perk of attending the event is being able to taste “soon-to-be-released” holiday beers before they are actually released. And because I’m super awesome (go with it), I was privileged enough to be sent the list of beers for tasting.

Naturally, I have my opinions about many of the beers in the line up (the good, the bad and the ugly). There are some tables that I will avoid like the plague ::cough:: CORPORATE ::cough::

And then there are some tables that I might spend copious amounts of time at — i.e.: De Proef, Allagash, Bison, Green Flash, Stone etc…

Either way, here is the super star list of breweries pouring their specialty and holiday beers at the Holiday Beer Fest in San Francisco on Sunday, November 15th. If you are in the Bay Area, I highly suggest attending this event. It should be awesome.

CHEERS!!!