Winter. It is the season of strong ales, the bastion of barley wine. Like unwelcome memories, darkness and cold have made their bold return to confront us denizens of the Northern Hemisphere. Back are the Sorels, the Gore-Tex, and the Thinsulate vestments. Barely remembered are summer's mininum attire and the proverbial loaf of bread, bomber of beer, and Thou, relaxing beside me in my hop-draped backyard wilderness. My backyard wilderness is now draped with a foot of snow, and its crop of hops is tucked away in the frozen splendor of my Frigidaire.
Not to worry: The holidays provide us a fine annual harvest of beer and brewing literature. It is now time to warm up with the ideal brewer's companion for the holidays: a selected volume from the first annual Moenbrau Holiday Gift Book Guide. After careful research involving many different draughts (and a few written versions as well), I present the following list for the reader's consideration. They may never stuff a stocking (good luck finding one of these titles in a bookstore or homebrew shop), but they will offer a timely literary and libationary refuge from the seasonal chill -- a winter warmer or two for those of us who will never be designated drivers.
