Instead of drinking cheap champagne this year or attempting to decipher what champagne has a good "price point" as they more often say in the over priced beverage industries, I plan to explore some equally bubbly and celebratory beers. You can even find beers brewed using the same ancient process used to make champagne called the methode champenoise. While this process has been perfected over the years by champagne producers who were attempting to get a higher carbonation level with smaller bubbles that create a softer velvety mouthfeel, brewers are using it now as well.

To create exceptionally bubbly beers, brewers add sugar to each bottle before it is corked to allow for a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This fermentation infuses more refined smaller CO2 bubbles - the more heavy handed you are with the sugar, the more bubbly the beverage will be. The methode champenoise uses several more complicated techniques like riddling and uses specific types of yeast strains, but for the purposes of beer, you will find many bottle-conditioned beers that achieve the same mouthfeel and complex taste.

These sparkling beers tend to be on the top shelf and are appropriate for a celebration like New Year's Eve. They also happen to cost about as much as a bottle of cheap champagne... so what do you have to lose? Below are a couple bubbly beers I will be popping open come New Year's Eve.

Glazen Toren Jan De Lichte This is one of my favorites coming from a brewery in Belgium run by three people. It is an extremely carbonated double wheat beer with some amazing complexity.

AleSmith IPA I just tried their most recent batch which has extremely high levels of carbonation and this is currently one of my favorite big IPAs.

Beers brewed using the methode champenoise:

Allagash Black

Brouwerij Bosteels Deus

Malheur Brut Noir

Kasteel Cru

'Tis the season of gift giving and it can be tough to find the right gift for the discerning craft beer drinker. Here are a few gifts I personally would love to get, that I think any craft beer lover would greatly appreciate.

Books
Christmas Beer This book discusses the history of beers brewed just for Holidays. A great read for any beer lover who likes to learn about the history of various beer styles and who wants to get in the holiday spirit.
The Brewmaster's Table This is a great book that discusses pairing beer with food. Many call it the textbook for beer and food pairing.
Hops & Glory This book is great for any beer lover who particularly fancies the IPA and who might be interested in learning about its origins. I am currently reading this book and can't put it down.


(Big) Beers
There are a lot of big bottle beers released for the holidays that make fun gifts that are literally a party in a bottle. Serious beer drinkers say these large format beers taste different (or have subtle nuances) from their normally-sized counterparts, so getting these big bottles is sure to excite even the most serious beer lover. Most good beer stores will have a selection of big bottles to choose from and in my opinion you can't go wrong with any beer made in a big bottle. Personally, I would enjoy the Keegan Ales Hurricane Kitty, which comes in 1 liter bottles. I have also seen the Stone Arrogant Bastard in 3 liter bottles, which I would definitely love to see under the tree on Christmas morning. The Anchor Christmas is also a classic Christmas beer from Anchor Brewing Company, the brewery that pioneered the Christmas beer tradition in the US.

Events
Another fun gift idea would be to get tickets to a beer pairing or a beer dinner. I always enjoy "experience gifts" the most and if you buy tickets to an event, you can treat yourself at the same time. Check out our events section to see what's out there. You will find plenty of events where you can meet brewmasters, learn about various beer styles, and enjoy some eccentric beer and food pairings like bacon and beer, cheese and beer, chocolate and beer, or a full beer dinner with several pairings.

Located in the old Geneva Theater building (allegedly haunted by ghosts), a new beer bar opens today called Geneva Ale House. The beer menu includes over 70 beers and they plan to host beer education events and beer dinners. Stay tuned for their surprise opening food menu.

I have had many conversations with people about the quality of beer and beer cultures in various cities. Many claim to live in the best beer drinking city. Usually people will evaluate a city based on the quality of the beer that local breweries put out and/or the level of sophistication of the drinkers. I think it is most important to look at the balance between the two. As a city's beer culture matures, beer drinkers learn to appreciate better beers and breweries are both forced and enabled to put out better beers. People will demand better beer, and breweries will be able to put out more bold and exciting beers to an audience that will appreciate them. With that said, Heartland Brewery has been acknowledging the increased maturity and sophistication of New York beer drinkers and has started creating some exciting beers. I encourage you all to check them out and especially tonight, there will be $1 pints of their new and hoppier Indiana Pale Ale.

From Heartland Brewery:

Old Red Nose . . . in Four Versions
Brewmaster Kelly Taylor made four versions of this seasonal orange and ginger-infused beer: the classic Old Red Nose Ale (5.75% abv), a special edition version (8.25% abv), a keg-conditioned special edition (8.25% abv), and a limited edition bottle-conditioned special edition (8.25% abv) for holiday gifts (250 bottles, each priced at $14.95). The classic is currently on tap at all Heartlands and the special edition version will replace it in mid-December (the bottled versions are also on sale now; they also come as part of a $24.95 gift-pack that includes two glasses). The tiny quantity produced (just three kegs) of the keg-conditioned special edition Old Red Nose Ale will be on tap at Union Square in mid-December, too, though we only expect it to last for three days to a week, at most.

Hot Mulled Ale
Heartland has created a hot mulled ale that is available at the Union Square and Empire Heartlands through the end of December. It contains Old Red Nose Ale, plus: apple cider, cinnamon, cloves, all-spice, rum, honey and orange slices. You might also be interested to know that the drink will be served at the next New Amsterdam Market, with the proceeds to benefit City Harvest.

Belgian Chocolate L’Orange
In late December or early January, Heartland is going to introduce its most ambitious (not to mention expensive to produce) Heartland beer to date: a Belgian Chocolate L’Orange (8.5 abv.). Made with Valrhona chocolate nibs and dried orange peel, this strong, spicy beer will have distinct espresso notes.

Red Rooster Belgian Ale
In late December or early January, Heartland is going to be offering a special edition Red Rooster Belgian Ale at four of its restaurants. Kelly has given Heartland’s regular Red Rooster Ale a twist by fermenting it with Belgian yeast. The result is a bolder, spicier ale, with a pleasant hoppiness and complex, fruity finish.

Indiana Pale Ale: The Next Generation
As you might know, Heartland has been brewing beer in New York City for the past 15 years. During this time there's been a flat-out revolution in the popularity of craft beer in the U.S. Moreover, Americans' taste in beer has changed dramatically. Consumers are now excitedly embracing more complex, intensely flavored beers that only five years ago they might have found overwhelming. The IPA category, in particular, has surged in popularity as imbibers realize that it's overly simplistic to describe hop-driven beers as simply "more bitter" than other brews.

In recognition of this shift in taste, Heartland has rolled out a next generation Indiana Pale Ale. For starters, it's made with a nutty, rich English pale ale base malt, a touch of caramel malt for more depth of color, and an unmalted flake barley for textural roundness. Kelly also uses four hop varieties, each at different stages, which gives the finished beer a bold, resinous mouth feel. Each of the hops also adds a different flavor component: Chinook (bitterness and background spice), Amarillo (floral citrus), Cascade (grapefruit), and Simcoe (pine). Finally, this beer is unfiltered, resulting in a richer, more complex finish.

We are excited to have smallbar division street on board. Check out their beer menu, especially a beer I've wanted to try for a while the SKA Modus Hoperandi.

We are happy to have on board the recently opened Tribes Ale House. Check out their beer menu and check out their event calendar for events like Beer School 101.

Rattle 'N' Hum is celebrating their one year anniversary with a huge cask lineup of 20+ beers. Some standouts include the Dale's Pale Ale dry hopped with Centennial hops, the Ballast Point Dorado IPA, the Sixpoint Bengali Tiger, and the Green Flash West Coast IPA. Of course, they have beers of different styles, but those are the ones I am eying. Cheers to real ale!

We are excited to have Jake's Pub on BeerMenus. Check out their impressive menu.

Today Amity Hall opens in the West Village. With 40 taps and over 100 bottles, this is a great new beer destination. Check out their beer menu. Note: tonight will be their quiet opening with select draft beers - tomorrow they will have their full beer menu available.