January may be warming up a bit, but there’s still nothing better than an exceptional beer to warm you from the inside out. St. Louis Park’s The Four Firkins and Minneapolis’ France 44 are two of the cities’ bastions of good beer. We asked The Four Firkins' Owner Jason Alvey and France 44’s resident beer expert Matthew Fisher what they’re go to brews are. We’ve split the bunch into local and everywhere else for our locavore friends. While you’re out hunting for the best beers keep this list in mind.

Local Brews
Fisher’s Picks
Schell’s Snowstorm Baltic Porter - New Ulm, MN
“Deep mahogany in color with a light malted milk head, this beer hits the palate with dark malts and sweet caramel flavors followed by a big finish of bakers chocolate and coffee. A medium bodied, creamy texture lends balance to this great effort at a classic style from Schell’s.”

Lift Bridge Crosscut Pale Ale - Stillwater, MN
“Pours almost red-bronze in the glass with big, piney, floral aromas. A light to medium bodied ale with zesty hops and a rich caramel backbone. This beer lends a hint of summer flavors if you’re looking wistfully towards spring, otherwise makes a great pairing for spicy foods.”

Lake Superior Oatmeal Stout - Duluth, MN
“With hints of chocolate chip cookie dough and roasted vanilla, this beer is dessert in a glass! All these rich, sweet flavors become more apparent as the beer warms to room temp. This Stout would do well with, or in, a winter stew.”

Surly Smoke - Brooklyn Center, MN
“Nearly opaque in a pint glass, Smoke pours with a pillowy brown head and all kinds of delicious aromas. Roasted malts up front with the smoky, meatier flavors adding to the backbone of this brew. This is a great example of the smoke beer style for those wishing to try one for the first time.”

Summit Winter Ale - St. Paul, MN
“A crisp and inviting winter warmer with dark malts and a good balance of hops. This beer starts soft with nutty, caramel notes and then finishes with a spicy hop bite. This beer is consistently my favorite offering from Summit.”

Alvey’s Picks
1. Surly Darkness - Brooklyn Center, MN
2. Czar Jack Imperial Stout from Town Hall Brewery - Minneapolis, MN
3. Barley John's Barrel Aged Rosie's Ale - New Brighton, MN
4. Brau Brothers Imperial Stout - Lucan, MN
5. Summit Winter Ale - St. Paul MN
 
Everywhere Else
Alvey's Picks
1. Samichlaus
2. St. Bernardus Christmas
3. Delirium Noel
4. Goose Island Christmas
5. Nissefar from Haandbryggeriet

Fisher’s Picks
Widmer Brrr - Oregon
“This is my personal favorite winter warmer this year.  Brrr pours a dark ruby-copper color with a nice lacy cap. The nose is spicy with hops and sweet malts. The taste is wonderfully complex, everything promised in the aroma comes through. With layers of caramel and crystal malts, hints of dark fruits and herbal hops this beer is dangerously easy to drink.”

Founders Backwoods Bastard - Michigan
“This is the first bourbon barrel scotch ale I have ever tried and I was hugely impressed. This is very big beer in every sense, with a huge nose of fruity malts and hints of a wine like smokiness. There's just a hint of hops in the flavor, but the rest of the taste is dominated by dark fruits, honey, caramel, toffee and vanilla. Definitely a full bodied brew with a bit of a bite to it.”

Nogne-Stone-Jolly Pumpkin collaboration Special Holiday Ale - Norway and California
“Dark brown with hints of red around the edges and a pillowy brown head. I get layers and layers of malt in the aroma along with a plethora of spices. At first sip, all those malts come through soft and sweet with cinnamon, hazelnut and pepper bringing on the finish.”

Sam Smith's Winter Welcome - England
“Bright copper in color with rich smells of floral hops, apples and bready malts. The mouth feel is medium bodied with all those malts in the lead and spicy, fruity, hoppy backbone.  This is another great offering from one of my favorite breweries.”

Ridgeway Insanely Bad Elf - England
“This beer looks almost burnt orange when it pours, leaving very little head. Sweet caramel, toffee and herbal hops on the nose with a strong dark fruit presence.  Its almost port-like on the tongue with an initial hit of fruity sweetness being followed up by big citrus hops.”