What's a Winter/Christmas beer?

Daring to use myself as a reference, let me quote this post from 27 December of last year:

In reading through the consumer reviews of winter beers (or Christmas beers or 'holiday' beers) on sites such as Beer Advocate, one can find comments such as this one:

"Unlike most winter seasonals, this beer is very hoppy with no spiciness. While I'm a hop head by nature, the lack of spice and malt flavor and the overwhelming hoppiness leave me underwhelmed."

To these style Scrooges, I say: Bah, humbug!

Winter beers are celebrations of the season. They can be big, they can be malty, or they can be hoppy, or they can be spiced. Or maybe not. They are not an ordained style.

Beer writer Lew Bryson at his blog —Seen Through a Glass— recently reviewed the 2009 Winter Ale from Stoudt's Brewing in Pennsylvania. He liked it. Then he wrote this:

A holiday beer doesn't have to be a spiced beer, or a malt-bomb winter warmer. It can be just a special beer.

The late beer writer Michael Jackson would describe such beers as 'more-ish.' So, relax; don't worry about so-called beer styles; and enjoy a winter beer this December, without prejudice.

• My post from last year includes a review of Don Russell's book Christmas Beer, a good reference for the season.
• As an employee for a wholesaler of beer and in northern Virginia, I sell beers from Stoudt's.