Sip on these holiday beers from Pure Project, Ballast Point and Wild Barrel Brewing
Festive offerings from San Diego breweries include Home for the Holihaze, Longest Night, Santa’s On the Juice and Ale Nog
Breweries around town have concocted holiday beverages that are an ideal match for that awkward, but enjoyable, time between Christmas and New Year’s.
Pure Project and Burgeon Beer just re-released their collaboration brew Home for the Holihaze, a murky, double IPA (8.8% ABV) with notes of clementine, pineapple, mango, and grapefruit. Pure Project also debuted second holiday brew: Longest Night, a smoothie-style ale (6% ABV) with blueberry and banana, resulting in a vibrant violet hue. Both beers will be poured at Pure Project’s four locations (Balboa Park, Miramar, San Marcos and Vista) and available for statewide shipping.
Santa’s on the Juice from Wild Barrel Brewing is a hazy, juicy double IPA that’ll tempt Saint Nicholas to make the switch from cookies to beer. Released every winter, the dry-hopped holiday brew has tasting notes of grapefruit, pine, passionfruit, lychee and pineapple. It is available on draft and in cans at both of Wild Barrel Brewing’s tasting rooms in San Marcos (692 Rancheros Drive) and Temecula (41493 Margarita Road, Suite G106), and served at select locations in San Diego County.
Dessert beer fans will love Ballast Point Brewing Company’s Ale Nog, originally brewed for last year’s holiday season. When taprooms closed in late 2020, Ballast Point lost the ability to serve the eggnog-inspired nitro brew — so to save it, the cream ale was stored in whiskey barrels for months. The result is a 12% ABV dessert beer that blends original cinnamon and nutmeg flavors with new barrel notes of vanilla, coconut and whiskey. Try Ale Nog on nitro at Ballast Point’s three locations in Miramar, Little Italy, and Home Brew Mart.
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