One of my first Christmas beers of the season, Tidings from Alexandria’s Port City Brewing was a very pleasant welcome to this year’s winter warmers.
The strongest of all Port City’s offerings at 7.8%, Tidings is a Belgian Pale Ale with the addition of honey and seasonal spices. The honey was especially prominent in the glass I had at Rustico in Alexandria, tasting as if it might not have completely fermented out leaving a fair dose of residual sweetness and honey flavor. There are lots of flavors of coriander, clove, and pepper.
Tidings is not quite the super-high-ABV, syrupy wallop of a winter warmer like some breweries come out with around this time of year – more of a subtle toast to the season and one which seems like it would work well as a party tipple or paired with a holiday dinner.
