White Christmas Winter Warmer

Review Date 12/12/2024 By John Staradumsky

  Style:  Winter Warmer   Brewery: Narragansett   Country: USA   State: Rhode Island   $ Per OZ: $.24 (B)  

I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…at least, I was anyway. That’s because last year, Rhode Island’s Narragansett Brewing Company released a new holiday seasonal, White Christmas Winter Warmer. Since I was born and raised in Rhode Island, this was indeed something I really wanted to try, but it was a Rhode Island only brew, produced at the Narragansett brewery in Providence.

Funny thing about dreams, though. They often have a way of coming true, and on Thanksgiving Day of this year I happened to be browsing the Half Time Beverage website and there it was-Narragansett White Christmas Winter Warmer! A six-pack promptly went into my cart, and I received it a week and a half later.

Here’s what Narragansett says about the beer on their website:

We set out to create something that embodied the warmth, cheer, and merriment that Bing Crosby brought to all of us through his music. We wanted to brew a classic style and put a fun spin on it, and created this spiced English style winter warmer. Our selection of specialty malts imparts traditional holiday flavors of figgy pudding, toffee and caramel. We also utilized the dark sweet cherry, orange peel and ginger in the brew to give it a fuller depth of flavor and a hint of holiday spice.

Interestingly enough, I drank my first can of White Christmas Winter Warmer after a can of a local favorite holiday brew, Merry and Bright from Line Creek. Both derive their names from the song White Christmas. Both are malty winter warmers. Both are 7.4% alcohol by volume. Both are spiced with orange and ginger, though Merry and Bright also has cinnamon and White Christmas has cherries.

Narragansett White Christmas Winter Warmer has an alcohol content of 7.4% by volume and I paid $19.49 for my six-pack from Half Time. Total Wine sells it for $16.99 a six-pack in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am not sure what it goes for at the brewery, but #16.99 does seem high for this beer for an in-store purchase. My cans are marked Providence, Rhode Island so it does not seem this beer is contract brewed at Genesee. They are stamped Bing PKG 101624 on the bottom.

Narragansett White Christmas Winter Warmer pours to a bright ruby brown color with a thick creamy head of foam and a nose of toasty malt and cherry. Taking a sip, the beer is medium to slightly more in body. The toasty malt really pops here and I love it, it’s like toasted bread with the crusts on. There are toffee notes and caramel, toasted nuts, and the beer lightly hints at the cherry, orange, and ginger. A bit more of those would be welcome, but I do appreciate the malt accent of the beer, and I am glad I got a six-pack and didn’t settle for a single.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??