When gathering supplies for a day of ice fishing on one of Maine’s seemingly infinite lakes and ponds, there’s only one thing more vital than tip-ups, a bucket of smelt, and thermal underwear — that is, of course, beer. Nothing keeps the cockles of the heart as warm as beer when the wind whips along an ice-capped lake in February.

Light beer rules the day when it comes to a day-long ice fishing outing; though it’s good to sprinkle in a few high octane brews for some alcohol heft when the mercury nose dives. Instead of 30 packs of macrobrew swill and nips of the nauseating Fireball Whiskey, here are some Maine brewed libations to pack in the cooler for a day of chasing flags as you wait for the big one to bite.

Barley Wine ~ Sebago Brewing Co.

Now that your cooler is packed with a lager, it’s time to punctuate your beer intake with a warm-the-gut, barrel-aged beer. Weighing in at 11.8-percent and packing oodles of complexity in flavor, the Barley Wine from Sebago Brewing is the perfect beer to celebrate that 18-inch brown trout you just pulled out of Sebago Lake. Barley Wine is aged in bourbon barrels and boasts notes of roasted toffee, caramel, vanilla, and currants, with a subtle bourbon finish. Packaged in an inventive sleeve of two 12-ounce cans stacked on top of each other, Barley Wine is easy to toss in a cooler along with your lagers. It’s refreshingly unpretentious for a complex barrel aged beer—and we all know that pretension is the nemesis of ice fishing.

Curieux ~ Allagash Brewing Co.

Speaking of bourbon barrel aged beers, there is none finer than Allagash Curieux. Allagash ages its Tripel ale in bourbon barrels, then blends the barrel-aged beer with fresh Tripel to create the beautifully balanced, brimming with complexity Curieux. Allagash claims there’s a hint of bourbon in flavor, but I’ll contend that the bourbon is quite pronounced in Curieux—which is what I love about this beer; it has an assertive bourbon backbone without being too boozy in flavor. Along with notes of buttery bourbon, there are flourishes of vanilla, oak, honey, and bright Belgian yeast notes. At 11 percent, this one will keep you warm, and like the Barley Wine above, it should be imbibed responsibly. Despite its fancy cork-top, this beer isn’t too pretentious for a day of ice fishing. Pop the cork when it’s time to celebrate that fat rainbow trout your buddy just landed or as a way to brighten a day when you’re being skunked on the lake.

Gunpowder Rye Whiskey ~ New England Distilling

If you’re heading out on a day when the temperature refuses to rise above zero degrees, you’ll need something stronger than beer to keep you warm. Luckily, Maine has more than a dozen distilleries making a wide range of spirits. And no spirit has been warming the bones of Mainers longer than whiskey. I suggest you tuck a flask filled with Gunpowder Rye Whiskey from New England Distilling in your jacket pocket to keep Jack Frost at bay. Gunpower Rye is a Maryland style whiskey, meaning it’s mashed with mostly rye instead of corn. This imparts a spicy and herbal flavor profile that offers the boozy bite of a spirit with more complexity than traditional whiskeys. Aged in American oak barrels for up to a year, Gunpowder Rye has notes of roasted vanilla, oak, and an earthy spiciness. When the west winds howl, fight back with a tipple of Gunpowder Rye Whiskey.

Pepperell Pils ~ Banded Horn Brewing Co.

Maine has a dozen beautifully crafted lagers to choose from for an ice fishing excursion. For my money, Pepperell Pils from Banded Horn Brewing in Biddeford is the pilsner of choice for a day out on the lake. Brewing a crisp, clean lager is no simple task, making the refreshing Pepperell Pils a triumph of light beer. This beer releases an inviting graham cracker and floral hop aroma when you crack a can, while the flavor is dangerously drinkable with notes of fresh bread, spicy lager yeast, and an earthy hop finish. The 4.6-percent alcohol content allows you stay satiated, while still on your game for running after tripped flags. This beer glides over the palate like Bean boots over the smooth surface of a frozen pond. Grab a sixer or two to toss in the cooler for your next trip.

— Text: Dave Patterson. Dave is a freelance writer with a great thirst for craft beer. His Beer Muse column runs each week in the Portland Press Herald.