Wondering which beers to serve at your holiday party or festive family meal? Given the generally chilly and wet West Coast weather, you might gravitate towards heavier, darker beers—and there are several holiday-themed winter beers out right now that fit the bill. These include Father John’s Winter Ale from Howe Sound Brewing, Red Racer Gingerhead Gingerbread Stout from Central City Brewers + Distillers, and the ever-popular Granville Island Brewing Lions Winter Ale.

But if you’re hosting a standup cocktail party, you might pick a lighter style better suited to sipping and socializing, like a pilsner, a pale ale, or even a bubbly Belgian saison—such as Spinnakers’ Festive Saison—which won’t look out of place next to a glass of Champagne.

And what about a bottle that will look good on the table when everyone sits down to dinner? After all, you’re probably making sure your table is decorated just right, so why not choose an eye-catching bottle.

Here are some solutions for your holiday beer dilemmas.

Down Easy pale Ale and Gratitude Winter Warmer (Hoyne Brewing, Victoria; Down Easy at B.C. Liquor Stores, Gratitude at private liquor stores)
Hoyne Brewing recently swapped the summer label for its Down Easy Pale Ale—which features bikini-clad river tubers—with a winter version depicting ice skaters enjoying a winter wonderland. The image is perfect as a holiday-party conversation starter or to adorn a dinner table, and the beer itself (at 5.2 percent alcohol by volume) is well suited to turkey, with a good balance of hops and malt. Hoyne also has the ideal beer to give to your hosts: its Gratitude Winter Warmer (9 percent ABV) comes fully wrapped in festive paper.

Ugly Sweater Milk Stout (Parallel 49 Brewing, Vancouver; B.C. Liquor Stores)
Reward your sweater-clad guests with this Ugly Sweater. Slightly sweet thanks to the addition of unfermentable lactose, this beer is very sippable despite its heft and colour, but not so strong at 5 percent ABV that it will put your guests to sleep. It comes with a great label, but serve it at cellar temperature in a dimpled beer mug or a pint glass to let the flavours come alive.

The Grinch Winter Ale (Bridge Brewing, North Vancouver; private liquor stores)
This beer’s tongue-in-cheek name and festive label make it another great choice to offer at a party or on the dinner table. It’s a strong, dark ale at 6.3 percent ABV with chocolate, ginger, and Christmas spices: serve it in a smaller chalice or brandy-snifter-style glass.

The hobbit Trilogy series of Beers (Central City Brewers + Distillers, Surrey; B.C. Liquor Stores, starting around the week of Christmas)
Seeing the Hobbit trilogy in theatres has become a bit of a Christmas tradition over the past few years, and now you can enjoy the Hobbit trilogy of beers in the comfort of your own home, courtesy of B.C.’s own Central City Brewers + Distillers, which acquired the right to brew them for the Canadian market in November. Gollum Precious Pils is a good option for more mainstream beer-drinkers, coming in at 5 percent ABV with a light body and a crisp finish. The more adventurous beer-barians on your guest list might enjoy Smaug Stout, a strong beer (9.5 percent ABV) with chili peppers, or Bolg Belgian Tripel (8 percent ABV).

Delirium Noel Gift Pack (Brouwerij Huyghe, Belgium; B.C. Liquor Stores)
This attractive gift pack is a great one to give to a host or wrap and put under the tree for your favourite beer-lover. It features two 341-millilitre bottles each of Delirium Noel (10 percent ABV) and the world-famous Delirium Tremens (8.5 percent ABV), which was once voted the best beer in the world, along with a branded chalice. At just $19.95, you might want to reward yourself with one too.

Anno 2014 (Dageraad Brewing, Burnaby; private liquor stores)
Finally, ring in the New Year with this strong golden ale at 8.3 percent ABV brewed with Keremeos pears and Indian coriander from Burnaby’s new Belgian-style brewery, Dageraad. The beautifully designed label and effervescent bottle conditioning make this an easy choice to replace boring old bubbly at midnight on December 31.

Other holiday-themed beers to look for include Steamworks Brewing’s Blitzen Belgian Tripel (9 percent ABV), Townsite Brewing’s Bière d’Hiver (7.5 percent ABV), and Russell Brewing’s Naughty & Spiced Porter (6.5 percent ABV).