Pop a Corked Beer on New Year’s Eve

So this is the New Year
And I don’t feel any different
The clanking of crystal
Explosions off in the distance

— “The New Year,” Death Cab For Cutie

It’s 11:59pm on December 31, and the champagne bottles are ready to pop. The countdown begins, the ball drops and the corks explode. You may not feel any different when 2016 arrives, but you can add a cool tweak to the clanking of crystal by opening up a few big bottles of beer that are sealed with a cork!

The Champagne toast is a relatively new tradition. Sparkling wine was first produced by Benedictine monks in 1531; the Champagne designation specifies beverages produced from grapes grown in the namesake region of France. The drink was associated with royalty and aristocrats for centuries, but was embraced by less privileged classes at the end of the 19th century. “In a secular society, we want to mark both the joy and sanctity of an occasion,” noted Kolleen M. Guy, author of When Champagne Became French. “Champagne does this symbolically, but also visually, since it overflows in abundance and joy.”

But this is the Got Beer? page, so let’s launch a new tradition. There is a wide and wonderful range of brews topped with a cork and a muselet (the wire cage that secures the cork) that will make the first few minutes of 2016 unique. We perused a few local shelves to gather suggestions for untraditional toasting; most of the bottles cost between $10 and $20.

Choosing beer opens up a wide world of flavors. The wild ales from Cascade Brewing provide some sweet options for puckering up at the stroke of midnight: Apricot Ale (8.5%) and Blueberry Ale (7.33%) will lend unique flavors to the festivities. Two Roads’ Conntucky Lightnin’ will have you howlin’ at the moon a few minutes into the New Year; the ale aged in bourbon barrels (8.5% ABV) packs a boozy punch. Uinta produces big beers in its Crooked Line series. There are two terrific treats on the shelves: Labyrinth Black Ale, an Imperial Stout (13.2%, aged in rye barrels); and Tinder, a Rauchbier (6.5%) that will add a bit of smoke and heat to your countdown gathering. And Maine’s Hidden Cove notes that its Derogation Sour Alicante Wine Grape Ale (6%), a golden ale aged in red wine barrels, has a “champagne-like character,” if you want to hew to the taste of sparkling wine.

You can also line up some affordable Belgian delights to indulge in at the start of the New Year. St. Bernardus’s Abt 12 is a world-class Quadrupel (10%), a smooth, dark brown ale with layers of banana, fruits and a hint of chocolate. And share the wealth: Brouwerij Huyghe’s Delirium Tremens, a Strong Pale Ale, and/or Nocturnum, a Strong Dark Ale (both 8.5%); Chimay’s Grande Réserve, a Strong Dark Ale (9%), and Première, a Dubbel (7%); Rodenbach’s Grand Cru (6%), a Flanders Red Ale, is a sweet ’n’ sour delight; and Brasserie Dupont’s Saison Dupont (6.5%), is a phenomenal saison.

Allagash of Portland, Maine, offers some accomplished and alluring Belgian-inspired choices, including Interlude (9.5%), a Saison/Farmhouse ale; Victor (9%), a Strong Pale Ale; Curieux (11%), a barrel-aged Tripel; and Odyssey (9%), a Strong Dark Ale aged in oak barrels. Brewery Ommegang, in Cooperstown, NY, also specializes in Belgian-style brews. Their flagship Abbey Ale, an 8.2% Dubbel, is an affordable standout, as are Hennepin, a Saison/Farmhouse Ale (7.7%) and Three Philosophers, a superb Quadrupel (9.7%).

The cynics among you will want to reach for Unibroue’s La Fin Du Monde — yep, that’s French for “the end of the world.” But after a few sips of the Belgian-style Tripel (9%) from the renowned Quebec brewery, you should be feeling better about 2016 and be hopeful enough to make it through another month or two.

Cheers to the New Year!