Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale 2025 2026

The collectable label on Winter Welcome Ale this year features a brass quintet playing carols.

Brass bands originated between the 1830s and 1850s, they were associated with the coal mining and other industrial communities in northern England. Some early bands were formed in the 1810s by military veterans returning from the Napoleonic wars.

Despite the closure of the coal mines in the 1980s, brass bands continue strongly in Yorkshire and bind its community together. The world’s most famous brass bands herald from Yorkshire. The sound of a brass band playing Christmas carols or a brass ensemble busking in the street is a strong winter association for many Yorkshire folk.

This seasonal beer is a limited edition brewed for the short days and long nights of winter. The full body resulting from fermentation in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’ and the luxurious malt character, which will appeal to a broad range of drinkers, is balanced against whole-dried Fuggle and Golding hops with nuances and complexities that should be contemplated before an open fire.