Beer of the Week: Santa’s Summer Holiday

It’s time for me to come clean on the subject of addiction. I love the holidays! But there’s more. Thanks to my yuletide-loving wife, I am in a codependent relationship spanning nearly two decades. Nothing gets me going like red-and-green motifs, strung twinkly lights, ornately embellished Douglas firs, mysterious ribbon-secured boxes, and December get-togethers with friends and family. Those affairs are almost always accompanied by, not just beer, but the special types of beer which hit shelves at local bottle-shops this time of year. I’m talking about spiced Belgian strong ales, English winter warmers, imperial stouts anointed with seasonings from the baking-goods aisle and, like so many craft-beer fans, Sierra Nevada Brewing’s wildly popular Celebration Ale. They make up 90% of what I consume from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, but there’s one other winter-suited style of beer I also indulge in: hoppy ales brewed with spruce tips. Just what you were expecting, right? While imparting the essence of Christmas tree into a beer may seem odd, it tastes quite natural, as most spruce IPAs are brewed with piney, resinous Pacific Northwest hops such as Chinook and Centennial. However, the production crew at Scripps Ranch-based Harland Brewing went another way with this week’s featured beer, Santa’s Summer Holiday…and it worked out exquisitely. Rather than tapping go-to hops, they went with a pair of New Zealand varietals: Motueka and NZ Cascade. The resultant beer that is evergreen and uplifted by notes of lime zest and mint. And rather than go the IPA route, Harland imparted all of the above against a brisk pale-ale base, making for something that’s both flavorful and refreshing. Santa’s Summer Holiday is easily the lowest-alcohol (5.3% ABV), most drinkable wintertime beer that’s graced my special Rudolph pint glass in at least a decade. Cheers and happy winter imbibing to you and yours!

Brewed with Motueka, NZ Cascade and spruce tips, this pale ale is as dry, bright and crispy as a New Zealand beach day in December! Bursting with notes of fresh-sliced apricot, lime zest, grapefruit pith and pine needles, it’s fermented with British ale yeast to add layers of fruity esters on top of already tropical-fruit-forward hop varietals. Santa’s Summer Holiday is medium-light-bodied to let the hops and spruce tips take the harness and guide the sleigh for a merry and bright ale.”

Brian Kelly, Head Brewer, Harland Brewing

Harland Brewing is located at 10115 Carroll Canyon Road in Scripps Ranch, with satellite venues at 4112 Napier Street in Bay Park and 2953 Beech Street in South Park