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Craft Beering » Cocktails with Beer » Winter Beer Sangria

Winter Beer Sangria

Our winter beer sangria is a smooth blend of fruity rye whiskey, spiced winter lager and (mostly) seasonal fruit. A rather harmonious flavor composition with each ingredient complementing the rest for a delightful and not overly sweet sangria.

Winter Beer Sangria #beersangria #wintersangria

  • Go straight to the Recipe Card or
  • Read on for a few relevant tips (2 mins)

The Problem of Too Much Sugar in Sangria

Chances are you know all too well how very treacherous a glass of sangria can be when made with a wine too sweet, fortified with a liquor too strong and flavored with juice or soda drink loaded with high-fructose corn syrup. 

With our winter beer sangria you need not be concerned with punch treachery.

Its overall sugar and alcohol content are significantly lower (yes, less sugar even though beer is involved) than a traditional red wine sangria and it is truly light while the fruit and seasonal spice fragrance and flavors are amplified.

You can drink as many glasses of it as you could beermosas and while your festive mood will follow an upward trajectory the uplift will not result in a dull headache… or worse, such as is common after consuming a cheap red wine sangria.

(I am quite confident that most people do not mix their sangria using $30+ bottles of wine, usually it is the cheap stuff that ends up in punches. With its headache inducing powers.)

Winter Beer sangria

Choice of Beer

Quite a few people we have served this winter beer sangria to have been surprised to learn that we make it with spiced beer. 

Chris and I do enjoy a white beer sangria (with Witbier or Hefeweizen), but this one is a bit a lot more festive.

Our choice of beer for this punch (aka craft beer cocktail) is spiced winter lager (top fermented beer). A spiced winter ale (bottom fermented beer) works just as well – usually these are lovingly called Christmas ales:)

The Samuel Adams Winter Lager we selected is simply a bock lager brewed with ginger, orange peel and cinnamon.

The result is a rich yet crisp beer with a warming caramel embrace and pleasant hints of winter spices. While bock lagers are known to be stronger in terms of alcohol by volume this one only has ABV 5.6%. It is very similar to an Oktoberfest style lager actually.

Winter beer sangria with Sam Adams winter lager (spiced bock). #beersangria #winterbeersangria

Winter Beer Sangria – Ingredients Besides Beer

Apart from going with a flavorful beer in the stead of red wine, we do two more things differently with this sangria – we use rye whiskey instead of brandy (or flavored liqueur) and flavored sparkling water instead of a sugar loaded soda or juice.

The dry rye whiskey brings a distinguished spiciness and fruitiness, yet does not add much by way of sweetness and the sparkling water further lightens up the sangria. We used a tangerine flavor for this post, but a cranberry flavored water is a pretty strong contender.

The fruit mix we use in this winter beer sangria is meant to contribute distinct tart and slightly sweet flavors.

Blood orange, a common orange variety (Navel, Cara Cara etc), cranberries, blackberries and halved red grapes.

We also add cloves, cinnamon and rosemary, both in the pitcher and for garnish in the glasses.

Steps Winter Beer Sangria #beersangria #sangria #winterbeersangria #wintersangria

How to Make Winter Beer Sangria

The image grid above pretty much sums up the steps.

  1. Start by placing sliced fruit and the spices at the bottom of a pitcher, add the rye whiskey, some OJ, the sparkling water, the beer and stir. 
  2. Prep glasses with ice and fruit and pour.

The one step not pictured above is the splash (admittedly a generous one) of orange juice. Apart from boosting the citrusy presence it adds a certain murkiness to the punch and thus gives it a credible look.

Sangria should look somewhat murky after all:).

Winter Beer Sangria #beersangria #sangria #wintersangria #winterbeersangria

The Garnishes

Have you ever tried using a cinnamon stick as a straw?

Aside from being childish and silly it uplifts the experience of sipping on this particular winter beer sangria. As soon as the lips touch the cinnamon stick its aroma readies the senses for the avalanche of flavors to follow.

Get over your prejudice and try it:)

Winter beer sangria #winterbeersangria #beersangria #wintersangria

TIP: Once that first pitcher is all gone (instantaneously it seems) keep the fruit, cinnamon and cloves in it and quickly start all over with the splash of OJ, the rye whiskey, the flavored sparkling water and of course – the spiced beer of your choice.

And…that’s our winter beer sangria recipe shared! I feel so thankful for spiced winter brews, they really make winter more bearable.

Jolly even:) Enjoy, friends!

Winter beer sangria with spice bock and rye whiskey

Winter Beer Sangria

Winter Beer Sangria

Yield: 4 cocktails
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

A spiced winter lager (bock or a spiced winter ale) partners with rye whiskey and an array of citrus fruit and berries, clove and cinnamon for a winter beer sangria you can drink plenty of before you feel the power of the punch.

Ingredients

  • 6 oz rye whiskey
  • 2 12 oz bottles of spiced winter lager/ale
  • 12 oz sparkling water, citrus or berry flavored recommended
  • 2 oz orange juice
  • 1 blood orange sliced thin
  • 1 common orange, Valencia, Navel, Cara Cara sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup halved red seedless grapes
  • 1/2 cup blackberries
  • 1/2 cup cranberries
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks plus more for garnish
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary plus more for garnish

Instructions

  1. Wash and cut (as appropriate) all the fruit and arrange in layers at the bottom of a pitcher.
  2. Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks and rosemary.
  3. Add the rye whiskey and the orange juice and let the fruit soak for a few minutes.
  4. If you are going to serve the winter beer sangria right away prepare glasses with ice cubes and fruit/rosemary garnish, otherwise consider refrigerating it until needed. Optional - prepare extra cinnamon sticks for garnish and to use as straws if desired.
  5. When ready to serve add the sparkling water first and then the beer. When you add the beer pause frequently to let the foam dissipate.
  6. Gently stir everything together and once the fruit settles to the bottom pour into glasses.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 228 Total Fat: 2g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 277mg Carbohydrates: 50g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 7g Sugar: 13g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 6g
© CraftBeering
Cuisine: American / Category: Cocktails with Beer

About CraftBeering

Hi! We are the Perrines - Milena and Chris. We share tasty recipes centered around cooking with beer and pairing beer and food. With over thirty-five years of combined chef and avid home cook experience between us we have you covered! Learn more about Craft Beering or sign up for our bi-weekly new recipes & posts e-mails (below).

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Comments

  1. Amber Harrop says

    December 11, 2017 at

    This sounds and looks delicious, I would definitely drink this

    Reply
  2. Leanna says

    December 10, 2017 at

    I so want one of these…. please come pour!!! Pinning to try this, it looks really really good and refreshing too.

    Reply
  3. CraftBeering says

    December 7, 2017 at

    Thank you so much, Leanne!

    Reply
  4. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says

    December 7, 2017 at

    This is a beauty of a sangria! It would be the joy of any holiday gathering! The flavors are amazing, and the presentation so festive, warm and colorful. Love it! P.s. We did use the cinnamon stick as a straw in our whiskey maplecino 😉 . So fun!

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 7, 2017 at

      Yes! Love that you appreciate the hidden utility in cinnamon sticks:) Thank you, Nicoletta.

      Reply
  5. Elise Cohen Ho says

    December 6, 2017 at

    That looks so lovely and festive. I love holiday drinks.

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 7, 2017 at

      Cheers, Elise!

      Reply
  6. Taylor Kiser says

    December 5, 2017 at

    This is definitely a must make for the holidays! Looks ahhmazing! Cheers!

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 7, 2017 at

      Yes! Thanks, Taylor and cheers!

      Reply
  7. Melissa King says

    December 5, 2017 at

    This is stunning and I bet even my husband would drink it!!

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 7, 2017 at

      Cheers to that! Thank you, Melissa!

      Reply
  8. Karen, the next best thing to mummy says

    December 5, 2017 at

    This looks really refreshing, so I am going to try it #happynow@_karendennis

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      I hope you do Karen! It is super refreshing actually.

      Reply
  9. Angie | Big Bear's Wife says

    December 5, 2017 at

    This is one beautiful Sangria!

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      Pretty and delicious:) Thank you so much, Angie!

      Reply
  10. Jane Murguia says

    December 5, 2017 at

    Mmmm. That looks like a delicious drink. I’d like to try it myself.

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      So easy to mix too! Thank you for stopping by Jane!

      Reply
  11. annie@ciaochowbambina says

    December 4, 2017 at

    This. Is. Happening! This is so fun and absolutely perfect for the season!! But you already knew that! 😉

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      Cheers, Annie!

      Reply
  12. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says

    December 4, 2017 at

    So pretty and such a great idea! How can you go wrong with beer whiskey and fruit? 🙂

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      Precisely, how can you go wrong:)?

      Reply
  13. Alexandra Lenz says

    December 4, 2017 at

    Your photos are gorgeous! Sangria is one of my favorite cocktails, love your winter version.

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      Thank you, Alexandra! Cheers!

      Reply
  14. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    December 4, 2017 at

    What a festively flavored beverage!

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      Thank you, Rebecca!

      Reply
  15. Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says

    December 3, 2017 at

    Your pics are so pretty and they’re really getting me in a festive mood. I’m going home to Oregon for Christmas soon and I think this would be perfect to serve my family as an alternative to their usual red wine :). I love that there’s not loads of extra sugar because A) I don’t care for sweet drinks and B) I’d rather not drink my sugar when I’ve been eating Christmas cookies all day anyway. Hope you had a great weekend!

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      Yes! Gotta find ways to eat Christmas cookies guilt free:)

      Reply
  16. Sandra L Garth says

    December 3, 2017 at

    I don’t know much about beer but I’m willing to learn while sipping this sangria. Thanks for the recipe and great pictures!

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      If this would be your first beer mixed drink you will end up with a great impression, Sandra:) Thank you for stopping by!

      Reply
  17. Cindy says

    December 3, 2017 at

    Perfect! Sunday, Dec. 10 is National Lager Day and I needed a good lager recipe to share on my daily recipe page (Seasonal and Holiday Recipe Exchange) ~ so I’ll be sharing your pin on Sunday ….

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      Thank you so much, Cindy! Sounds great and thank you for the heads up on National Lager Day!

      Reply
  18. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

    December 3, 2017 at

    I just saw this one on IG and, let me tell you, I’m super excited to try it! I showed hubby right away! I don’t care for overly sweet drinks at all – they’re undrinkable to me. This one sounds perfect and love that you used Sam Adams, which I can get around here and whiskey along with all those winter flavours. Any time I make sangria, I always keep the fruit too for reusing for another batch. We are having a party in a couple of weeks and this would be perfect. Pinned and can’t wait to try. Your pics are gorgeous too 🙂

    Reply
    • CraftBeering says

      December 5, 2017 at

      So excited to read this, Dawn! I do hope you mix a few batches soon! I will be there at your party in spirit:)

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Silver Pennies Sundays Link Party (247) - Finding Silver Pennies says:
    December 10, 2017 at

    […] Craftbeering has a great beer sangria that I think would be perfect for holiday entertaining. […]

    Reply

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