VOA标准英语2011--Beer Gets a Seasonal Twist on Taste

（单词翻译）

Beer Gets a Seasonal¹ Twist on Taste

It’s weird² beer time in America.

Beer and ale are already available, any time of year, in familiar varieties: lager, pilsner, stout³, India pale ale. But perhaps inspired by candymakers and coffee bars, U.S. brewers by the hundreds produce flavored “seasonal” varieties for the winter holidays.

Brews⁵ flavored with chocolate, pumpkin⁶, cinnamon, clove⁷ - even oatmeal and gingerbread - are said to spice up holiday parties, so to speak.

The large Samuel Adams craft brand, for instance, ships out something called “Cranberry Lambic” beer this time of year, not to mention holiday porters, black lagers, and a brew⁴ called “Old Fezziwig Ale.” One reviewer, sounding very much like a snooty wine critic, described Old Fezziwig as possessing “a nose full of roasted malt.”

So-called “winter brews” are usually darker, heavier on the hops⁸, and a tad more alcoholic⁹ than the usual fare. They include brands such as “Winter Solstice,” “Old Jubilation,” “Winter Warmer,” “Snow Cap,” “Hibernation Ale,” and “Santa’s Private Reserve.”

This photo of Avery Brewing10 Company’s “Out of Bounds” seasonal brew carries the skiing theme beyond the bottle.

Or not so private, since Oregon’s Rogue¹¹ Brewing Company sells it to anyone who wants to buy it.

Some drinkers detest¹² flavored beers and thick, dark, bitter winter ales. But they must be selling well, since at least 100 American brewers fill store shelves with these wintertime-only varieties.

So when ordinary pale lagers aren’t catching¹³ holiday shoppers’ eyes, perhaps a “Nutcracker Ale,” a “Snowball’s Chance Winter Ale,” a “Frambozen,” brews named “Igloo” and “Jack Frost” and “Slowblind Winter Warmer,” a Texas “dunkelweizen” that one aficionado¹⁴ calls “a drinkable fruitcake,” or something called “Tannen Bomb” which has nothing to do with a Christmas tree, will do the trick.