The Brew Site
A can of Harpoon Brewery’s Imperial Harpoon IPA arrived recently, a sample from the Boston-based brewery to accompany the press release I ran a couple of week ago. As a quick refresher, Harpoon riffed on its flagship Harpoon IPA with this beer: “Taking their iconic IPA recipe and jacking the … Continue reading
Now that Christmas weekend is past and the Beer Advent Calendar is over, I can get caught up on a few things, starting with receiving some non-alcoholic and “alt” beverages (as in, alternative to beer). These were sent the past couple of weeks though I hadn’t gotten to sharing. The … Continue reading
It’s Christmas Eve, and the final day of the Beer Advent Calendar! For this final Advent beer I’ve selected one as a nod to the jolly old elf who delivers gifts this evening: Ol’ Saint Nick Winter Ale from Oregon’s Block 15 Brewing. Ol’ Saint Nick is a true winter … Continue reading
Maybe it’s my imagination, but it seems that there are a notable number of peppermint bark-inspired beers being released this holiday season; peppermint bark is a chocolate confection that sees crushed peppermint candies sprinkled onto melted chocolate, so a stout infused with chocolate and peppermint is an obvious recipe. So … Continue reading
For today’s Advent beer we travel to the land down under, to Victoria, Australia to visit Bridge Road Brewers and its seasonal treat—Magical Christmas Pavlova Unicorn. It’s a fruited cream ale that I have to admit that I picked because I liked the name, although since it’s summer in Australia … Continue reading
Throughout the years of doing this Beer Advent Calendar, there has only been one constant: Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale (also called Our Special Ale, and Merry Christmas & Happy New Year). It’s a nod both to the longevity of this brew as well as acknowledgement of it as an American … Continue reading
Today’s Advent beer hails from Le Roeulx, Belgium, and the Brasserie St-Feuillien, which brews a range of abbey-styled beers, saisons, and others, including its popular Christmas ale, Cuvée de Noël. It’s a strong, dark ale with 9% alcohol by volume first introduced in 1969, one of the first Christmas beers … Continue reading
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was published on this date in 1843, which tells the tale of misbegotten elderly miser Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by three spirits of Christmas, an experience which transforms him into a kinder, gentler man. What better beer to choose for today’s Advent reveal than … Continue reading
My latest article for The Bulletin, out this week, takes a look at Belgian styled bières de Noël, and Central Oregon’s very own version from Monkless Belgian Ales: Friar’s Festivus, a strong, dark ale for the rest of us. Finally, there are the strong, spiced bières de Noël of Belgium. … Continue reading
On this day in 1966, the television special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! first aired, based on the 1957 children’s book by Dr. Seuss. Like Charlie Brown, Rudolph, and a few others, the animated special is considered a holiday classic, so in honor of that debut, today’s Advent beer celebrates … Continue reading