Rain and cold be damned, resilient businesses around the Pacific Northwest are determined to accommodate their customers throughout the winter while adhering to COVID-safe guidelines. To help with what promises to be a weird winter to say the least, a couple of Portland-area breweries and cideries are also offering hot beverages that serve as a complement to sitting on a chilly patio. 

When it comes to hot alcoholic drinks, most people think about hot toddys, Irish coffee, mulled wine and cider. At Portland Cider Co., they serve traditional mulled cider at their tap rooms every winter, and this year they decided to add something a little different. While their classic version is made with a mix of mulling spices added to their Pumpkin Spice cider and is full of festive spice with cinnamon, clove, allspice, ginger and nutmeg, their Peach Berry version is more in the style of a traditional Hot Mulled Wine, according to Helen Lewis, who handles marketing for Portland Cider Co. Full of fruity, rich notes from the cider, but with a touch of holiday spice from the cinnamon, anise star, close and allspice in the mulling spice kit. She notes that they stumbled on this idea by accident. 

“We QC check every canning, which involves heating up the cider at one point and taste testing it. Our team noted it actually tasted really good warmed up, so we experimented with different spices one weekend and made this kit!” 

Portland Cider Co. is currently offering both kinds of hot cider in special to-go kits so you can pick it up and make it at home using their recipe for plenty of holiday cheer. 

Perhaps lesser known than cider is hot beer. Sometimes referred to as mulled beer, this concoction typically involves a combination of spices, fruit and beer warmed to a soul-pleasing temperature. In other words, it’s an ideal drink for the holiday season or any cold winter night. It can also be done using lower alcohol beer, offering a break from those barrel-aged stouts you’ve been glugging down to get through these dark days. 

While hot, mulled beverages are fairly common in the cider and cocktail worlds, you don’t often come across them in the beer scene. Jarek Szymanski, brewer and owner at Threshold Brewing & Blending in Portland’s Montavilla neighborhood, hopes to change this with a nostalgia-laced treat that he remembers from growing up in Poland. 

“Traditionally, as I remember from my earlier days, a light lager or ale was used as a perfect base for spiced beer, something around 4 or 5%. When you warm up a beer, a lot of volatile flavor and aromas tend to escape. The mulling of the heated beer with wintery spices and citrus give the traditional Grzaniec flavor,” says Szymanski. “It's a hot beverage that is perfect for warming up after a day out in the elements, whether that's skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, or just enduring a day-long Portland drizzle. It's a seasonal beverage in Poland, served during late fall and winter and especially enjoyed during the holiday season. To me, it's a reminder of warmth and good times with my friends. It simply puts me in a festive mood.” 

Read more at source: newschoolbeer

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