Baby its cold outside, and when we’re talking about chilled frosty ones- I’d like to be thinking about the beer in my glass and not the six inches of ice gluing the wipers to the windshield of my car.

Like any civilized mammal, I hunker down and hibernate when the days start getting shorter. A few things will draw me out of the craft cave though like the need for food, toilet paper and the siren’s call of beefy holiday beers and winter stouts that roll out at my favorite bars this time of year.

Foraging for sustenance at my neighborhood bodega, I was rewarded with a huge selection of cool new winter cans. I couldn’t resist picking up a Hopwork’s Abominable Winter Ale, weighing in at a bombastic 10.4% , this beer has a rich caramel flavor and crisp finish giving it an “exceptional” title from Beer Advocate and outstanding rating of 92. I’d order it no matter what the packaging, but the darling yet ferocious yeti stole my crafter’s heart.

Faster than you can say “Jack Frost” I’d poked holes in my cans, made them cute-as-a-button hats and stuffed them with bird seed for the little starlings who live in my back yard. The yeti feeders were a true feast for the eyes and he birds were beyond delighted with their easy buffet. I went to bed that night with a warm heart, knowing that once again our lives had been greatly improved by an awesome beer.