Seasonal beers — typically brewed in limited batches and available only for a few months each year — are a centuries-old tradition. Producers of so-called coronation ales in Britain used the crowning of the monarch as an excuse to put out stronger, sweeter, maltier beers, and brews with higher alcohol content.

Not surprisingly, summer ales are typically light in color and body, with bright flavors, while winter ales tend to be darker, thicker, richer, and heartier with toasty tastes. Stouts and porters— including chocolate stouts — are popular choices for this time of year, and these dark ales are now widely available at city bars.

The owner of DBA in the East Village (41 First Ave., between 2nd and 3rd streets, 212-475-5097), Raymond Jeter, said that each year, he looks forward to Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout from Brooklyn Brewery. “It comes in around mid-November and runs out around Christmas,” he said of the thick drink, which has a rich, roasted savor. With an alcohol content at 10.6%, the beer has a much more intoxicating effect than your average brew, which generally has an alcohol content of 5–6%.

While some chocolate stouts are made with real chocolate — Ommegang’s Chocolate Indulgence, a Belgian-style beer made in Cooperstown, N.Y., is brewed with Belgian chocolate — there’s no chocolate in the Brooklyn Brewery version; the flavor comes from a blend of black, chocolate, and roasted malts.

For the cold-weather months, Mr. Jeter also recommends the St. Peter’s Winter Ale, which is made in the United Kingdom and comes packaged in a light green bottle ($8) that contains a little more than a pint. It has a dark red-amber color, a foamy head, and the scent of molasses. Mr. Jeter described the flavor as “fruity with a hoppy finish, and roasty, with good, lactic sourness in the middle of your tongue.”

The practice of flavoring beer began centuries ago as a way of covering up the then-foul taste of water, but is now a popular way to pay tribute to the season. Available from mid-November to mid-January, Anchor’s Christmas Ale — the producer annually tweaks the holiday recipe — is a winter warmer with aromas of holiday spices, such as ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, and caramel.

Several holiday beers pay tribute to Santa Claus. Père Noël is described as “a big rich Belgian specialty ale” by the owner of the bar Spuyten Duyvil (359 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn, 718-963-4140), Joseph Carroll. And the Austrian Samichlaus Bier is brewed only once a year on December 6, and then is fermented in barrels for 10 months before being bottled. With an alcohol content of 14-15%, it’s one of the world’s strongest beers — and is known as one of the few beers that improve with age.

Beers with high alcohol content age better than other brews, because alcohol acts as a natural preservative. Beers that, like sparkling wines, have a little sugar and yeast added at the end of production also keep better than other brews.

Gramercy Tavern (42 E. 20th St., between Park Avenue South and Broadway, 212-477-0777) has the 2005 vintage of Samichlaus on its list. The assistant beverage director, Kevin Garry, manages the beer program there, and each season changes the North American craft brews available on tap. But he also maintains a list of “vintage” beers that includes several winter beers and so-called barley wines, which get their name because their 11–12% alcohol content is close to that of wine.

At 56–58 degrees Fahrenheit, the restaurant’s wine cellar provides the ideal temperature for keeping, aging, and serving beer, according to Mr. Garry. Some of his favorites for this season include Brooklyn Monster Ale — the 10.8% alcohol content brew has a “beautiful dark caramel color, malty flavor with a hint of sweetness” — aged for four months. The tavern will have Brooklyn Monster Ale on draft through January. Gramercy Tavern is also selling 2001 Brooklyn Monster Ale ($18 a bottle); 1998 and 2001 Anchor Christmas Ale ($14 a bottle), and 2003 and 2005 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout ($16 a bottle).