From the beginning of brewing history, special recipes were concocted for the cold winter months and celebrations such as winter solstice and later, monks created special winter beers for the holiday gift giving seasons to celebrate the birth of Christ, as sort of Christmas gifts for their communities.

Winter beers come in just about any style as it it completely up to the brewer to decide what type of seasonal brew to create, but the most common styles are strong ales, barley wines, and more recently from North American microbreweries are brown ales, porters, stouts and bock beers.

No matter what style they are brewed in, winter beer is usually only brewed around the end of the year and is available until around March or April. Although, many of these concoctions have a very high alcohol content and can be aged for several years if stored properly in a cool and dark place.