Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 11: Baird Jubilation Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 11: Baird Jubilation Ale

One of the goals of this Beer Advent Calendar is to offer up a variety of holiday beers from around the globe, and Japan is one of the countries that has been fairly under-represented in this regard, partially because Christmas in Japan is fairly different than here in the Western … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 10: Three Floyds Alpha Klaus

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 10: Three Floyds Alpha Klaus

We touched on Santa Claus very briefly in a roundabout way back on the 6th (St. Nicholas Day, with St. Nicholas being a northern European precursor/version of Santa), but the Beer Advent Calendar hasn’t yet featured a Santa-themed beer. Three Floyds Brewing from Munster, Indiana to the rescue with their … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 9: Breckenridge Christmas Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 9: Breckenridge Christmas Ale

We’re now just over one-third of the way through the Beer Advent Calendar, which also means Christmas Day is a mere 16 days away! And according to Wikipedia, today’s Christmas-themed day is “Anna’s Day, [which] marks the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 8: Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 8: Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux

One of the staple Christmas carols hitting the airwaves and school programs this time of year is the ever-popular “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”—one which if you ignore the slightly sinister undertones (“Bring us a figgy pudding… / We won’t go until we get some / So bring it … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 7: Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 7: Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale

Nothing says “Christmas” quite like gingerbread: gingerbread houses, gingerbread men, gingersnap cookies (one of my favorite Christmas cookies)—there’s something about the combination of ginger and molasses, rich and spicy, that pairs well with the season, evoking warm kitchens, hot chocolate (or eggnog), fresh-cut fir trees, hearty food, and a plate … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 6: Mönchshof Weihnachtsbier

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 6: Mönchshof Weihnachtsbier

For as important and influential as Germany is when it comes to beer, there doesn’t seem to be a strong tradition of Weihnachten (“Christmas”) beers—most of the ones I’ve seen are Oktoberfest-styled beers brewed special for the holidays, but there don’t seem to be many. Yet what Advent calendar would be … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 5: Saranac Season’s Best

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 5: Saranac Season’s Best

Here in the United States today is Repeal Day, celebrating the ratification of the 21st Amendment that repealed Prohibition. Happy Repeal Day! I wanted to select a beer to help commemorate the day, and thought a beer from a brewery that survived Prohibition would be perfect—and Matt Brewing Company from … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 4: Castelain Ch’Ti de Noël

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 4: Castelain Ch’Ti de Noël

The French have a wonderful Christmas tradition, particularly rich in food (bûche de Noël anyone? In fact I’d love to have a beer based on this!), but France is not generally known as much for its beers. Fortunately there are a growing number of breweries that are endeavoring to change … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 3: Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 3: Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale

Asheville, North Carolina is a bright star on the craft beer scene that’s been growing brighter in recent years, so much so that Charlie Papazian’s annual “Beer City USA” poll routinely sees Asheville ranked among the best beer cities in the country, not to mention the fact that both Sierra … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 2: Full Sail Wassail

Advent Beer Calendar 2012: Day 2: Full Sail Wassail

One of the long-lasting Yuletide traditions hearkening back to England is the practice of wassailing, more modernly known as caroling: going door-to-door singing Christmas carols and the hopes of receiving figgy pudding and “good cheer” which actually meant wassail, which (of course!) refers to the hot, mulled punch that is … Continue reading