BERKELEY, Calif. — During a time of year when the beer market is overrun with pumpkin and Octoberfest-style beers, Bison Brewing dares to separate itself from the pack with its unique seasonal offering——Gingerbread Ale.
“Our Gingerbread Ale holds a very special place in my heart. It is a tremendous source of pride and tradition for Bison,” boasts Bison’s owner and brewmaster, Daniel Del Grande. “Bison has been brewing Gingerbread Ale, since 1990. Nowadays, people are no strangers to spiced beers, but back in the early 90‘s our Gingerbread Ale was extremely innovative and ahead of its time.”
Gingerbread Ale is a delicately spiced holiday porter brewed with ginger, nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon. It boasts an intoxicating aroma of fresh baked gingerbread cookies straight from the oven, with well-balanced flavors of molasses, chewy dark malts and holiday spice. This year, Del Grande increased both the amount of cinnamon and ginger in the beer, giving Gingerbread Ale a more slightly more intense spice profile than previous years.
“Imagine dipping a fresh baked gingerbread cookie into a rich, roasty porter and then taking a bite. That’s what my Gingerbread Ale tastes like,” says Del Grande with a devious grin. “Just like biting the head off of a drunk little gingerbread man.”
This year, Bison released its Gingerbread Ale in brand new packaging, which matches the new brand look and feel it launched earlier this year. In lieu of its old silver, almost Christmas-like packaging, Gingerbread Ale now flaunts a snazzy new label and 4-pack featuring an authentic, hand-drawn Gingerbread Man on a background of autumnal browns and reds.
“Personally, I think the new packaging resembles a gingerbread house,” jokes Ashley Routson, Bison’s Director of Awesomeness and all things marketing. “It totally says ‘eat me’——or in this case, ‘drink me.’ I just drooled thinking about it.”
Gingerbread Ale is now available in 12 oz. 4-packs and draft. To order, contact sales@bisonbrew.com or call 510-697-1537.