Christmas season is one of my favorite times of the year, not the least because of the release of special holiday beers that lean into the seasonal theme. I always look forward to the return of beers such as Jubelale from Deschutes Brewery, Friar’s Festivus from Monkless Belgian Ales and others.

And this year, I’m adding Jingle Hop Winter Red Ale from Wild Ride Brewing Co. to the list.

Released at the beginning of the month, Jingle Hop was brewed at Wild Ride’s Prineville brewery by Prineville brewer Matt Katakura. It’s a strong and malty red ale brewed with ginger and nutmeg, with 7.8% alcohol by volume and 60 IBUs.

Timely tradition

Strong spiced ales are a staple of the Christmas beer genre, harking back to the traditional wassail and winter warmers of England and the spiced bières de Noël of Belgium. Breweries crafted these beers for the holidays as a special treat for their regular customers, a way of saying “thank you” for their loyalty.

These days, a wide range of seasonal styles are available from craft brewers, ranging from IPAs to imperial stouts, with less emphasis on spice additions; personally I do appreciate when holiday spices are incorporated.

I reached out to Wild Ride to find out how Jingle Hop was spiced.

“Matt chopped/grated up about 1.5 pounds of ginger and added it to the last parts of the boil,” said head brewer Mike “Curly” White via email. “He did the same with ground nutmeg.”

The base recipe leans on malts, including two row and Maris Otter pale malts, wheat, rye, and a blend of chocolate malts, according to White. The hops are Cascade, Goldings, and some Cryo Mosaic, and according to Katakura, “Also I added about 7 (pounds) of fresh Sorachi Ace hops that I grew in my yard.”

Sorachi Ace is a bit of a wild card hop, originally developed in Japan by Sapporo Breweries before finding some popularity among craft brewers around 2010. Known for its lemon character, the hop is also known to sometimes contribute notes of dill, along with coriander and mint.

How’s it taste?

I picked up a growler of Jingle Hop from the Redmond taproom, and when I drank it, I didn’t detect any of these particular hoppy characteristics.

It pours a deep chestnut brown color with some haziness, along with amber highlights when held up to the light. The aroma is malty and rich with light chocolatey notes, some dark fruit (dates and perhaps plums) and a touch of burnt caramel. The spices are subtle, but I get a bit of gumdrop-like spiciness, along with lightly peppery hops.

On the palate, Jingle Hop is malt forward with sweetly nutty flavors that include toffee, brown bread, toasted nuts, molasses, and burnt bread crust. There’s a good balancing hop bitterness that’s slightly spicy and slightly earthy, with a warming spiced cookie note. It’s medium-full bodied with a smooth and creamy lusciousness to the mouthfeel.

I really enjoyed this beer; it’s malty and rich and the spices are subtle enough to blend well without clashing with any of the other elements.

Wild Ride also has another holiday ale, Canyon Rim Crawl Imperial Blonde, also brewed at Prineville by Katakura. It’s 7.6% ABV, with pomegranate and a bit of hibiscus added for a fruit flair.

“It is a bright pink/red hue that drinks really smooth and tasty!” White said.

I haven’t yet had a chance to try the Canyon Rim Crawl, but both it and Jingle Hop are available on tap at both of Wild Ride’s Redmond and Prineville locations; be sure to stop in to try a pint or pick up a growler to take home for Christmas.

Top 5 beers of the week

Kris Kringle: McMenamins

Waist Deep Winter Ale: Bend Brewing

Santa’s Private Reserve ToffeeChocolate Stout: Rogue Ales

Sappy Holidays IPA: Boss Rambler Beer Club

Belgian Christmas Ale: pFriem Family Brewers

Blue cheese beer? Crux, Rogue Creamery get funky with new Coolship beer