Mulled beer is more than just hot beer!

You may have enjoyed a glass of mulled wine, but how about a glass of mulled beer? At its essence, mulled beer is hot beer. There’s cold beer for the heat of summer, so why not hot beer for the cold of winter?

By: Living a Stout Life

What is mulled beer?

Before you start being judgy and uppity about this thing called hot beer, let’s learn a bit about it, shall we? After all, the more you know, the more you might like it.

Mulled beer often starts with a full-bodied, complex beer with a good malt presence without too much bitterness. Many enjoy a sweet, high-ABV base, but others have started with lighter beers, even using a Hefeweizen or a light lager.

From there, anything goes. Anything with spice, that is, especially spices that are reminiscent of the holidays. Those spices may include nutmeg, juniper, clove, cinnamon, sugar, coriander, cardamom, or even star anise.

But you don’t have to stop there. Add in honey, maple syrup, or molasses for increased sweetness and more holiday flavors. Fruits are favored flavors, too, whole or juiced. Try oranges, cherries, or apple juice.

And if you’re really looking for that winter warmer added oomph, add in a shot or two of your favorite warming spirit. Try a sherry, rum, port wine, or brandy. There are no limits.

Simmer it all together and you might have just found your new favorite beer…hot beer!

Where did hot beer…err, mulled beer come from?

Hot beer is nothing new. It’s been around since beer has been around…for over 10,000 years.

Think about it, refrigeration hasn’t always been a thing. Ice boxes weren’t even thought of until the 17th century. The first home electric refrigerator came into being in 1913.

Keeping beer cold was not a simple task.

So why not drink it warm, instead? And people did just that. While it may not have always been hot beer, the concept of cold beer was unheard of when people first began brewing beer.

However, the concept of adding spices to fermented beverages was quite common, even beer. It was believed that adding spices helped to prevent common spoilage due to a lack of refrigeration capabilities, and it made bad beverages taste better.

In England, prior to the 20th century, porters and stouts were heated up for drinkers from all walks of life. Nobles to common workers enjoyed these mulled ales (mulled meaning heated) during the fall and winter seasons.

These mulled ales also became quite popular in the U.S. when the first settlers made their way across the seas. Some beer lovers even added extravagant ingredients such as milk and eggs to their heated beers. Other countries across the globe, Poland, for instance, with its Grzane Piwo (mulled beer), partook in warm beer, as well.

The flavor must have been quite pleasant and warming to the body, but there was also chatter that warm beer was better for one’s health, at least according to a story in The Atlantic, as quoted by Tap Trail.

“Indeed, heated ale was often perceived as being more healthful than cold beer. A pamphlet first published in 1641 with the title ‘Warm Beer’ cautioned that although a cold drink is pleasant when one is thirsty, ‘pleasant things for the most part are very dangerous.’ The unknown author of the preface claims that drinking cold beer caused him to suffer a headache, toothache, stomachache, cough, cold, and other illnesses, but drinking his beer ‘hot as blood’ restored him to good health.”

Whether or not mulled beer is good for your health, we cannot say. Time, on the other hand, was not good for mulled beer. With time, comes advanced technologies. And as advanced technologies in brewing and refrigeration became more common, mulled beer became less so.

Mulled Beer Today

Today, however, there has been a resurgence of this ancient practice of warm beer. Many craft breweries are venturing into craft beer cocktails and mulled beer is finding its place back on the menu once again.

More commonly, though, in craft breweries today, mulled beer has transitioned into what is more commonly referred to as winter warmers or spiced beer. And while rarely served hot, they are still reminiscent of their ancestral origins, full of holiday spices and bold flavors. And many with an ABV hovering around nine or 10 percent or higher.

While mulled beer doesn’t have a BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Panel) category, Spiced Beer does, including subcategories that match quite nicely the flavors of these festive beers: an Autumn Seasonal and a Winter Seasonal. Sounds like beers for warmth, indeed.

Autumn Seasonals are defined as “beers that suggest cool weather and the autumn harvest season, and may include pumpkins, gourds, or other squashes, and associated spices.”

Winter Seasonals are defined as “beers that suggest cold weather and the Christmas holiday season, and may include holiday spices, specialty sugars, and other products that are reminiscent of the festive season.”

Mulled beer, winter warmer, spiced beer – it’s the warmth that counts!

Brewer or consumer, when it comes time to create your version of a mulled beer, the only limit is your imagination.

The only goal? The warmth you get from sharing it with friends!

MMC Knows Malts

Whatever style you choose to brew for your festive seasonal beer, you’ll want a quality malt such as our 2-Row or Vienna. Whatever malts you need for your recipes, they’re all exceptional. So when you’re ready to craft your winter warmer, we’re ready for you!

“Malt should not be something that somebody has to worry about. That’s our job as maltsters. We produce something consistent and to specification every time and take that off of your plate.” (Joel Grosser, Director of Operations for North America)

Premium grains from field to flavor.

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About Malteurop Malting Company (MMC)

Malteurop Malting Company (MMC) is based in North America – specializing in growing and producing quality malts for the beer, whiskey, and food processing industries.

With local farms and Malthouses spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Malteurop’s commitment to excellence is fully ingrained into every batch it produces, ensuring businesses of any size can create the finest beverages and food products on the planet.

Visit www.malteuropmaltingco.com to learn how we can support your malting needs.

Malting is our passion. Quality is our promise.

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https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/make-best-mulled-beer-recipe/

https://www.vinhood.com/en/magazine-en/mulled-beer-a-qualcuno-piace-caldo/

https://www.taptrail.com/hot-beer-history-and-recipes/

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/hot-beer-anyone/385031/

https://northamericanbrewers.org/warm-beer/

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/hot-beer-anyone/385031/

https://www.bjcp.org/style/2021/30/spiced-beer/

https://www.whirlpool.com/blog/kitchen/history-of-the-refrigerator.html