By: Nick Handley

Happy New Year! But before you ring in the new year tomorrow just remember it’s a great day to stock up on your NYE spirits and beers at Hy-Vee with another Thirsty Thursday happening today. For every bottle or can of beer you buy you earn 1¢ per gallon on your Hy-Vee Fuel Saver Plus Perks Card. Grab a sixer, earn 6¢, a 12-pack, earn 12¢, and if you get a case of beer, your earn 24¢.

So with that, I felt it’s a good time to give you my 2021 Holiday Beer Power Rankings. I had a chance to try out a few new holiday beers and Christmas ales that were very good, others not so much. If you don’t see any of these at your neighborhood Hy-Vee, just ask someone and they will try and get it ordered. I also want to encourage you to check out the local brewery tap-rooms and try their seasonal selections.

Holiday beers are typically dark, malty, and somewhat high in alcohol content. Most contain spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, ginger, and honey. I usually notice the cinnamon taste on first sip. There are several delicious creations of holiday and Christmas ales to choose from but everyone has a different pallet and some of these beers will come across either a bit sweet or spicy. Here are my favorite holiday ales:

1- Christmas Ale- Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland- does not distribute in Nebraska)

2- Celebration Fresh Hop IPA – Sierra Nevada (found at Hy-Vee)

3- Red Sled- Nebraska Brewing Company (found at brewery, Omaha)

4- Jubelale- Deschutes Brewing (found at Hy-Vee)

5- Christmas Ale- Breckinridge Brewing (found at Hy-Vee)

6- Maple Pecan- Brickway Brewing (found at brewery, Omaha, and Hy-Vee)

7- Holiday White Ale- Sam Adams (found at Hy-Vee)

8- Little Full, Lotta Sap- Kros-Strain Brewing (found at brewery, Omaha)

9- Snow Beast- Kinkaider Brewing (found at Brewery, Omaha, Lincoln, and Broken Bow, and found at Hy-Vee)

10- Holiday Cheer- Shiner (found at Hy-Vee)