14 Craft Beers For Holiday Stress

But we have you covered with the latest list from the FoxNews.com brew crew. 

1. Southern Tier Choklat

The scent of this beer hits you fast; it's like opening a can of chocolate frosting. This imperial stout tastes so sweet and delicious that it's not surprising it is brewed with chocolate. Drinking this beer reminded us of stealing semisweet chocolate chips while our moms bakes cookies. You get notes of vanilla and caramel as well. We recommend leaving this one out for Santa to enjoy with his cookies.

2. Avery Brewing Company Old Jubilation Beer

After cracking this beer you first will smell a malty caramel and molasses with a hint of cherry and apple that's bright and inviting. With the first sip this beer coats your mouth with the flavor of malt and a light chocolate cherry note. You will also notice a floral sweetness like honey and a hint of hops. The finish is very nutty with allspice.

3. Long Trail Sick Day

Sick Day is the perfect representation of Vermont. Your nose will be full crisp fresh pine with your first inhale, as well as hints of caramel and malt. But when you taste, it's intense pine and hoppy flavors with a hint of maple syrup. It's tart on the back of the tongue and you may even get some vanilla notes. This beer is complex and interesting. 

4. Genesee Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter

This porter smells like caramel cooking on the stove, which blew us away from the moment of our first sip. The background flavor is smoky and scotch-like with bold caramel and hints of rich coffee, but it's main taste is vanilla sweetness that balances beautiful with the briny salty flavor.  This beer is so sweet and creamy we recommend it as a dessert.

5. Goose Island Winter Ale

This brown ale smells like chocolate covered gingerbread. However, the taste is tart cherries with roasted almonds. You will get hints of burnt sugar like the top of a holiday crème brule, too.  Goose Island finishes this beer with delicious nutty chocolate notes.

6. Boulevard Nutcracker Ale

The aroma is French vanilla with almond extract that's slightly floral. The flavor of the ale hits your palette with notes of ginger and honey and finishes strong with an almond flavor. 

7. Magic Hat Winter Mingle

Mingle has a deep smell of espresso –bitter and warm–and a malty flavor with notes of roasted coffee with a pinch of vanilla. However, this beer is still refreshing even though it has deep bold flavors.

8. Troegs Mad Elf

The smell of butterscotch and honey hit you when you open Mad Elf. Like many of the the holiday beers, there are flavors of cinnamon, clove tossed with tart cherry–that invite you in. But the slight floral note of raw honey and banana — almost like a German hefeweizen –sets this beer apart from the rest.

9. Yard Sale UINTA brewing

Yard Sale's flavor profile is very hard to pin down. We will call it umami because there is something earthy about this brew. It's very light and refreshing, but this amber ale has a mild tart smell that tastes bready with a hint of honey.We recommend it after a long day on the slopes.

10. The Church Brew Works Sour Date

The aroma of this brew is like dark chocolate and dried fruit.  Sour Date begins as beer then the taste slowly evolves into a tart red wine taste that has hints of cherry–with notes of dark chocolate.

11. Southern Tier 2Xmas

This beer can be described in one word; cinnamon. It smells cinnamon. It tastes like a cinnamon roll or what's sprinkled atop eggnog. 2Xmas is the quintessential holiday beer, indeed.

12. Troegs Blizzards of Hops

Smelling fresh like fallen snow, this beer is piney and floral, but also light and delicate. It's a pleasant surprise among all the dark winter beers –and best enjoyed after building a snowman.

13. Windmer Brothers Brrr Winter Ale

This red ale smells light and sweet, but it starts with some bold hop flavors.  It has a both piney and malty note that really mellows out with a sweeter finish, almost crisp and clean.

14. Deschutes EHops

This amber ale smells fresh like herbs straight out of the garden with subtle notes of thyme, cardamom, and coriander. There is a hint of lemon in there too making it a non-traditional brew for this holiday season.

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This article was originally published on December 18, 2015 by Shannon Witte