Each holiday season, my sisters and I get together at home back in Michigan and bake a ton of cookies. Sarah makes snickerdoodles, Rachel whips up walnut-date cookies, and I’m on gingerbread duty. After we’re done baking and have a mountain of treats in front of us, we sit around the table, swapping stories and jokes while we nibble.

Last year I wanted to add great craft beer into our sibling tradition, because, well, everything’s better with beer! And my sisters could learn a thing or two about my #1 passion. But I didn’t want to kick things off with just any ol’ brew — it needed warm seasonal flavors that pair perfectly with our baking marathon.

That’s why Hoppin’ Frog’s Whiskey Barrel-Aged Frosted Frog Christmas Ale is our new Christmas tradition! The GABF-dominating brewers built their reputation on a penchant for bold flavors and barrel-aging prowess. And with an arsenal of special seasonal releases, holidays in the Midwest don’t really start until Hoppin’ Frog unveils this fan favorite, ranked in BA’s Top 100 in the World for its Style!

With an assertive spice profile of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, BA Frosted Frog is the ideal beer to sip while rolling out dough and decorating my precious gingerbread. Sarah loves how its cinnamon aromas swirl through the air, mingling with the already intoxicating scents of the kitchen. Rachel thinks it has a candied orange peel and vanilla finish that’s great with the gingerbread-like malts in the body.  Its flowing caramel and honey notes taste like booze-dunked cookies.

Each year when we’re done toiling away in cookie land, we sit by the fireplace. We reminisce about holidays past, laughing at memories of grandpa falling asleep at the dinner table and that time cousin Matt brought a super weird girlfriend to the family gathering.

As we sip BA Frosted Frog, we always feel closer than ever. I’m already looking forward to Christmas next year, and this time it doesn’t have much to do with the cookies.