Beer of the Week: Navidad

From the Beer Writer: Like so many, when I was in my mid-to-late twenties, many of my friendships were fueled and cemented by beer and the act of consuming it. To this day, my best drinking buddies remain some of my best friends, and every year we participate in a holiday beer exchange where we put our names in a hat and…OK, you can figure it out from here. Most years, the beers are completely different, but one that has shown up multiple years is Cerveza Noche Buena, a bock brewed in celebration of the holidays and made available from October through December in limited supply. Scoring some is a big deal as a result, and who doesn’t love a higher-alcohol beer adorned with poinsettia art? When I heard that lager-forward Mission Valley brewpub, Puesto Cervevceria was making a beer for the holidays, I immediately wondered if they would go the Noche Buena avenida…and they did. Navidad is a bock brewed with traditional German malts, dark-roasted Carafa malt and flaked corn, resulting in a rich beer perfect for sipping and contemplating on a cold night spent waiting for Saint Nick to come down the chimney to drop off presents while you watch with glee from at least six feet away.

From the Brewer: “The Puesto Navidad is a strong, full-bodied, malty dark Mexican-style bock beer. Combining spice from German Sterling hops with a rich, dark, roasted malt character, we have achieved a perfect brew for the holiday season. Bock beers, meaning ‘strong’, date back to the early 1600’s in Europe, and were later on brought over into Mexican culture. The Puesto Navidad Holiday Bock Beer comes in at a whopping 8.3% alcohol content, so it’s a perfect cerveza to accompany you through the winter season. Please enjoy responsibly.”—Douglas Hasker, Brewmaster, Puesto Cerveceria