Advent Beer Calendar 2008: Day 12: St. Benedict’s Winter Ale

Stevens Point St. Benedict's Winter AleToday’s beer is St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, an "abbey-style ‘winter warmer’" from Stevens Point Brewery in central Wisconsin. The beer is 6.2% alcohol and is inspired by the historical figure of St. Benedict:

St. Benedict of Nursia lived in the late 5th to early 6th centuries. Legend has it while living in solitude, he was befriended by a raven that later saved his life. He is most remembered for writing the Rule of St. Benedict that, among other virtues, teaches humility. Inspired by this Rule we humbly offer St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a hand-crafted ale using generous amounts of dark roasted malts and the finest noble hops for a robust warming flavor.

I’m not actually sure what St. Benedict himself has to do with beer. Maybe it just sounded like a cool name on paper?

Steven Point Brewery is one of the long-lasting American breweries, tracing its roots back to 1857, though it wasn’t until 1990 that they started distributing outside of Wisconsin. This beer proved so popular for them last year that this year they doubled production and made it available in five additional states.

BeerAdvocate grade: C+. RateBeer score: 3.02/5, 44th percentile.