HOLIDAY ALES HAVE been brewed for centuries. In the years before refrigeration, it was difficult to properly control the yeast used in brewing during warmer months. For this reason, beer was often brewed in the dead of winter (like sake, another yeast-dependent libation). The bitter cold allowed the yeast to be more easily wrangled to produce the kinds of flavors brewers were trying to capture. As refrigeration and a better understanding of brewing chemistry led to year-round brewing, brewers continued to create signature winter ales in order to honor the tradition (and perhaps to celebrate the fact that they didn't have to freeze their asses off to get a good batch). Higher in alcohol, darker in color, and heavier in content, holiday beers tend to be fortifiers rather than refreshers.

It was time to educate my palate before heading out to do the requisite fieldwork. I assembled a few holiday beers that are pretty widely available in stores now. (They were procured according to the brewery's proximity to my apartment.)

Christmas Ale, Anchor Brewing (San Francisco) This is the 29th consecutive year Anchor has produced its Christmas Ale. The ingredients are top secret, since various breweries compete to put their personal stamp on the holiday-beer tradition. This year's Christmas Ale tastes a bit lighter than last year's, but it's nicely sorted with hints of mulling spices. Not too heavy, it's a great pairing for larger holiday meals.

Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale, Anderson Valley Brewing (Boonville) If you like vanilla, this is your beer. The amber color may throw you off, but the stuff tastes like a cream soda or like a Vanilla Coke from a soda fountain. Pour it in a glass to bring out the full experience of the pleasant vanilla aroma. If you're drinkin' it on draught (as you can at Toronado, about which more anon), you're a fortunate person.

Winter Welcome Ale, Samuel Smith (North Yorkshire, UK) Although Samuel Smith is better known for its Nut Brown Ale, this year's winter brew is possibly the most mellow of the bunch I tasted and served in its traditional tankard. Lightly fruity and floral with a crisp finish, it's very welcome, indeed.

Samichlaus, Eggenberger (Salzkammergut, Austria) Perhaps the most famous winter beer made, it is also the strongest. Stout as the merry fellow for which it's named, Samichlaus (Santa Claus) is aged for a year, which allows a secondary fermentation to take place and bumps up the alcohol content to 14 percent and sometimes 15 percent, depending on the batch. Luckily the long aging also helps to mellow the alcohol bite.

Holiday beers are meant to be quaffed from a glass, as their aromas are highly cultivated and, biologically and anatomically speaking, scent makes up a large portion of the final taste experience of a given beverage. Scent is lost when drinking from a bottle, but when your nose is buried in a pint glass as you take a long pull from it, inhaling as you drink, it can change the entire experience. So out to the pub(s) ...

Holiday Ale, 21st Amendment Perusing 21st's chalkboard, which lists the latest brews, is always a welcome diversion. Deep amber in color, the Holiday Ale tasted distinctly like ginger snaps or a smoky gingerbread cookie with a smooth finish. A fine example. 563 Second St., S.F. 415-369-0900.

Winter Warmer, Magnolia Pub Always glad to be in the friendly confines of Magnolia. The pint of Winter Warmer was strong and malty with fruity highlights. A hint of bitterness in the finish, the Warmer brought joy to my world – a single pint was almost as good as a meal. 1398 Haight, S.F. 415-864-PINT.

Of course, if you're looking for more than one draught holiday beer in a given location, Toronado (547 Haight, S.F. 415-863-2276) has the most presents under the tree. I bellied up with trusty tasting elf Gregor to light the Yule log:

Santa's Tipple, Moonlight Brewing (Sonoma) A one-man army, Sonoma brewer Brian Hunt personally delivers his kegs (he doesn't bottle his beers), and his winter concoction is a force to be reckoned with. More anti-Claus than Santy Claus, this thick and badass brew was served from a hand pump, rendering it virtually free of carbonation. Only for the most naughty, its taste and opaque blackness are akin to what one might find after straining Turkish coffee through a stocking stuffed with a lump of coal. Which isn't a bad thing – if you can hack it.

Delirium Noel, Huyghe (Belgium) Delirium, indeed. At 10 percent alcohol by volume (that's almost like wine), and on draught, it's so smooth you'll be under the table quicker than Dasher'd be on Prancer after just one of these. Woody notes reminded me of Pilsner Urquell, but plum and cinnamon round out the flavor.

Cuvée de Noel, St. Feuillien (Belgium) If you can get over saying the name aloud in a beer hall, the Cuvée de Noel is my choice for perfect winter beer – this year. Supersmooth, not overly spicy or hoppy, but a subtle, eminently drinkable draught. Although strong at around 9 percent ABV, the alcohol kick is mellowed by the long cold storage, which allows the brew to mature nicely. This is definitely a sipping beer, its ruby-brown color hinting at the brandy tastes found in its finish.

Holiday beer, much like holiday cheer, can be an acquired taste. Sometimes the beers are a bit too strong, a bit overspiced to mask the bitterness beneath. But sometimes they're just strong enough to warm with a sip, just spiced enough to bring a smile when you recognize something familiar that you can't find at any other time of year. After tasting a few and succumbing to the warmth of holiday reverie and fairly high alcohol content, it's hard to imagine desiring anything for the holidays but peace on earth.