The 12 beers of Christmas

The long, sunny days of throwing back light-as-a-feather lagers are long past. ‘Tis the season to shift to slower sipping brews. Whether you’re shopping for stocking stuffers, on the hunt for the perfect potluck accompaniment or just feeling out of ideas for stocking your home fridge, we’re got 12 beer recs that are sure to spread some holiday cheer.

1. Foeder-Aged Fig | Scratch Brewing Co.
This fizzy ale brewed with figs and clover tastes like a glass of fresh air in the midst of brown beer season. The elegant, 750-milliliter bottle makes for a perfect gift. It’s sour, spice and everything nice. scratchbeer.com

2. Cranberry Wheat Beer | Six Mile Bridge Beer
Orange peel and tons of fresh cranberry puree make this rosy beauty a dry, crisp version of a classic witbier. sixmilebridgebeer.com

3. Santa's Cookies Christmas Daze Stout | Main & Mill Brewing Co.
This cookie-inspired Imperial stout is the perfect nightcap, clocking in at an impressive 10.1% alcohol. Brewed with vanilla, cacao nibs and toasted oats, it drinks like a supersized brownie sundae. mainandmill.com

4. Tannenbaum! | Old Bakery Beer Co.
Rosemary is the star flavor of this dark, piney take on an IPA with a savory finish. oldbakerybeer.com

5. Dad's Oatmeal Cookie Stout | O'Fallon Brewery
This creamy, surprisingly light oatmeal stout mixes two St. Louis institutions - Dad's Scotch Oatmeal cookies and O’Fallon Brewery – to great success. ofallonbrewery.com

6. Winter White Ale | Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.
This is the beer you want to crush while going hard at the holiday dinner table. It’s a smooth Belgian white ale with orange and subtle spice. urbanchestnut.com

7. Christmas Bomb! | Prairie Artisan Ales
The holiday version of this Chicago classic adds a warming, spicy mix of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to an Imperial Stout already aged on coffee, vanilla, chocolate and chilies. A flavor bomb, indeed! It doesn’t hurt that the signature illustrative label already feels gift-wrapped. prairieales.com

8. Honey Holiday | 2nd Shift Brewing
This toasty Imperial stout brewed with malter honey drinks light and easy. Bonus: all proceeds go to the St. Louis chapter of The Pink Boots Society, a group created to advance the careers of women in the fermented and alcoholic beverage industry through education. 2ndshiftbrewing.com

9. It’s a Hard Nog Life | Third Wheel Brewing
The addition of lactose makes this golden stout a creamy, sweet holiday treat without the dread of dairy overload. thirdwheelbrewing.com

10. Are You Afraid of the Bark? | Narrow Gauge Brewing Co.
This s'mores-inspired Imperial Stout is brewed with lactose, vanilla beans, brown sugar, and cinnamon. It feels velvety and rich, with a balanced sweet-bitter finish. narrowgaugestl.shop

11. Cottonheadedninnymuggins | Stubborn German Brewing Co.
It doesn’t get more Christmas-y than an Imperial amber ale with vanilla, orange peel, cinnamon, and nutmeg – except for maybe an Elf reference on top of it. stubborngermanbrewing.com

12. Shiner Holiday Cheer | Spoetzl Brewery
A seasonal favorite among unpretentious beer lovers everywhere, this old-world dunkelweizen is brewed with peaches and roasted pecans. Cracking open the first of the season feels like slicing into a fresh pie. shiner.com