It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Beer: Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Last night, I had a meeting at an ale house in the Old Town neighborhood.  I was hoping that I wouldn't have to double up on breweries for It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Beer, but the only winter beer available was Samuel Adams Winter Lager, which was on tap.  Winter Lager is another winter beer staple, first brewed in 1997.  Unlike some of their other seasonal brews, this is available outside of sampler packs, so you can get it in six packs, twelve packs, and on tap.  Winter Lager is a very drinkable bock, with a nice malty flavor, as well as some hints of cinnamon, orange, and ginger, although none of them are front and center, as they can be in winter beers.  

It's not my favorite winter beer, but it is still very good, and I'm never going to complain if I have to drink it, unless maybe I'm being held hostage and my captors force-feed me lots of Winter Lager as my only sustenance over the course of several days.  In that limited circumstance, I might complain if, a couple days after I escaped (by using reverse Stockholm Syndrome psychological techniques and karate), someone was like, "Hey brah, here's a Samuel Adams Winter Lager.  Catch."  After it soared four feet over my head and shattered against the wall, I'd say, "No thank you, Johnny Manziel.  I'm not ready for Samuel Adams Winter Lager yet, on account of the physically and emotionally taxing hostage situation I recently endured, where my captors force-fed me nothing but Winter Lager as my only sustenance over the course of several days, before I escaped using reverse Stockholm Syndrome psychological techniques and karate.  Can I please have another type of beer?"

Regardless of the situation you might find yourself in, this is another safe beer to bring to a holiday party because it's not too heavy or too spicy, and I think it's pretty universally liked, meaning someone who doesn't normally drink winter beers can drink this and enjoy it.

Name:  Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Brewery:  Boston Beer Company
Location:  Boston, Massachusetts
ABV:  5.6
IBU:  22
Good for drinking if:  you want something that goes down easy while you are watching the Bears once again get demolished on national television and simultaneously watching Matt Forte fail to score 25.8 points in a PPR fantasy league, thus relegating you to the third-place game and crushing your last hope in the one league you thought you could win.
Rating:  4 stars (out of 5)