Founded in 1874, Batemans — located in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire — is one of the few remaining multi-generational family brewers in England. “Rosey Nosey has been rapidly growing in popularity in the UK market,” said marketing director Jaclyn Bateman. “We are thrilled to bring this beer to the USA market in partnership with SBS (SBS-Imports of Seattle).”

The Good Beer Blog’s 2009 Yule Beer Blog Photo Contest Is Launched!

It begins right now and ends Dec. 12. Lots of great prizes.

Got a photo like this?

Sent it to Alan McLeod. And remember, forget the photos with food in them. Think snow, Alan likes snow.

Style: Strong Spice Ale
Color: Brown/Deep Red
ABV: 8.6%
IBUs: 16
Plato: 18.5
Malt: Premium Pale 2-Row, Munich, Crystal & Chocolate
Hops: Magnum and Saaz

ABV: 6.4%
Plato: 16
IBU’s: 30
Specialty Malts: 50/60L Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, Oats, Munich Malt
Hops: Millennium, U.S. Saaz

Le Baladin Noel’s is an ale with an incredible complexity of aromas: flowery of rose, hint of dried fruits, caramel tasting, banana, cherry, plum, toffee, cocoa, licorice and peppery notes. Excellent with black chocolate, a glass of Nöel is perfect for a special night.

Fuller’s Old Winter Ale is a rich warming winter ale brewed to 4.8% ABV using only the finest quality malt and hops. The Crystal malts in the brew give a sweet, nutty character, while the Target, Challenger and Northdown hop varieties, help balance this strong, satisfying dark beer.

The second beer, Fuller’s Jack Frost is brewed with Crystal malt and a dash of blackberries, and delivers a fruity, robust yet refreshing flavor that lingers long on the palate.

When the seasons’ spectrums have changed from a vivid rainbow of flora, fauna and fair weather to a monochrome blanket of snow, slush and frigid temperatures, so must one’s beer. A spicy, crimson brew that completes the Delirium Trilogy (including Tremens and Nocturnum), Delirium Noel will bring color and zest back to the cold winter months and to your cheeks.

With its combination of an invigoratingly sharp and peppery character, stirring bitterness and that rare, crisp winter freshness of flavor, your inevitable fondness for the subtle, yet familiar nuances of piquant Delirium Noel will last through the seasons! Be sure to make plans to stay in when you pour out this memorable holiday beer, as its stout 10% alcohol content should keep you from going out in the cold more so than any blizzard ever could!

There are several different label of Delirium Noel, and all of them feature the famous pink elephant and most also with Santa Claus.

This is my personal favorite, with pink elephants pulling Santa’s sleigh. Can you image their hooves setting down on the roof?

This brew’s popularity made it difficult to restrict its availability to the Festive Season. Fortunately the high alcohol level enables us to brew enough to last most of the year so enthusiasts can be kept happy all year round. It is heavily hopped, dark and strong. 8.1% a.b.v.

And not only is it easy to buy online, but it’s one of best books on beer styles ever written, the result of years of painstaking research that shatters many of the myths surrounding the origins of famous beer styles like Porters and India Pale Ales.

Chapters cover sixteen different beer styles and go into great detail about each one of them. Did I mention it’s also a pleasure to read? And it’s filled with photographs, graphics, beer labels and old brewery advertisements. No matter how much you think you know about beer, you’ll learn a great deal from Cornell’s efforts. Oh, and did I mention it’s a mere fiver? At just five pounds, it may well be the bargain of the year, too. Seriously, take it from me. You should buy this book. One for yourself and at least one as a gift. It’s that good.

Here’s more information from the publisher:

Amber, Gold and Black, The Story of Britain’s Great Beers, by the award-winning beer writer Martyn Cornell, is the most comprehensive history of British beer styles of all kinds ever written, the true stories behind Porter, Bitter, Mild, Stout, IPA, Brown Ale, Burton Ale, Old Ale, Barley Wine, and all the other beers produced in Britain.

This ebook is a celebration of the depths of British beer, a look at the roots of the styles we enjoy today, as well as those ales and beers we have lost, and a study into how the liquids that fill our beer glasses, amber gold and black, developed over the years.

Astonishingly, this is the first book devoted solely to looking at the unique history of the different styles of beer produced in Britain.

Martyn Cornell also writes online as The Zythophile, easily one of the most informative and interesting beer blogs on the planet. You can get a sample of his writing there, too, if you’re not yet convinced that you should buy Amber, Gold & Black.