Today's the final day of the Advent Calendar, and you know I couldn't let another year go by without picking Anchor Christmas Ale! This annual favorite (technically called "Our Special Ale")—perhaps one of the most anticipated and favorite American Christmas seasonal out there—is different from year to year; Anchor changes the recipe (which is secret) and the tree on the label.

First brewed in 1975, this year's vintage is their 33rd release. Jay Brooks heralded this year's release (and the beer overall) wonderfully for this month's Session; go read that and then go out and pick up a six-pack of the beer for Christmas Eve.

BeerAdvocate score: B+ (letter grade). RateBeer score: 3.58/5, 89th percentile.

Today is my birthday, so like I did last year, I'm selecting a beer that isn't (ordinarily) a Christmas/winter-themed seasonal, but is more of a "birthday choice": Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss. Released as part of Deschutes' Reserve Series, this phenomenal Imperial Stout is 11% alcohol by volume and aged in barrels, and is an extremely limited release—the release party for this year's batch is January 15th, and I guarantee it will go fast.

The Abyss has been winning awards all over the place—including the gold at this year's GABF—and comes in a wax-dipped bottle. And just to make you all jealous (it is my birthday, after all!), let me just say that yes, I've drank this beer and yes, I have three bottles of last year's vintage in my pantry.

(I plan on stocking up even more with this year's vintage.)

BeerAdvocate score (whoa... they've apparently completely changed their scoring system around...): "A" (letter grade) "outstanding". RateBeer score: 4.16/5, 100% percentile.

To commemorate the winter solstice today, I selected Pisgah Brewing's Pisgah Solstice. Even though they brew this beer year round, it certainly sounds like a seasonal:

Pisgah's year round Belgian. A Tripel ale, this beer contains moderately fruity esters with an alcoholic complexity supported by a soft malt character. This beer is pale gold in color and 9.5% ABV.

Scoot yourself down to Black Mountain, North Carolina for a glass or two of this beer (or a growler); they don't bottle, but it'll be worth it.

BeerAdvocate score: 7 reviews, 3.87/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.54/5, 84th percentile.

Last year around this time I picked Young's Christmas Pudding Ale, and I wanted to pick something from them again—and fortunately, that's not the only Christmas beer they offer. So today I'm picking their Christmas Ale—the catch is (like some of the others I've picked) it's available on draught only. (At least, according to their site right now—BeerAdvocate shows a picture of it in the bottle).

This beer breaks the mold for a seasonal a bit in that it's an English Bitter style at only 4.3% alcohol—but really, after so many spiced, strong, darker seasonal beers, who wouldn't want to take it easy and toss back a few session bitters?

BeerAdvocate score: 4 reviews, 4.06/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 2.98/5, 41st percentile.

When I hear "Gift of the Magi," I think of the O. Henry story rather than the Three Kings that inspired this Lost Abbey beer. However, this beer sounds awesome (in true Lost Abbey fashion):

It seems that everyone knows the story of the Three Kings. Sent to follow the star in the sky each brought a gift for the baby they sought. One King brought Gold, the other Frankincense and the other Myrrh. Many breweries produce a Christmas Seasonal beer and this is our beer to celebrate the holiday season. Gold in color and bittered with the bark of Frankincense, we have even used the smallest amount of Myrrh which is an herb that has roots in ancient winemaking as well. A massive Golden Ale fit for a king (or Queen) we offer the Gift of the Magi each holiday season.

This year's version is a hearty 9% Bière de Garde conditioned with Brettanomyces yeast. Also like many Lost Abbey beers, this one is among the rare; only 170 cases were brewed. Get it while you can.

BeerAdvocate score: 8 reviews, 3.98/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.7/5, 91st percentile.

Image credit: ganked from BeerAdvocate.

In honor of the snow that's (lightly) falling here in Central Oregon today, I've picked Pyramid Snow Cap for today's beer. This is a Northwest classic, first brewed in 1986, a Winter Warmer in the English tradition.

Expect a spicy, hoppy, fruity-ish 7% alcohol warming brew. And I can't think of a better endorsement for Snow Cap than what Jay at Hedonist Beer Jive writes here:

Nowadays no one seems to give PYRAMID any respect whatsoever, which seems kinda wrong to me, especially after reacquainting myself with SNOW CAP recently. Damn, this could end up being in 2007’s top five winter ales for sure – sure, it’s got a fairly thin body and a very mild head o’ foam, but with its light spicing and hearty blend of malts, this is Christmas done right.

BeerAdvocate score: 82/100, 90% approval. RateBeer score: 3.39/5, 77th percentile.

Each year on the Advent Calendar so far I've selected Samichlaus, and this year's selection has a bit of a twist: Samichlaus Helles ("Samichlaus Light") from Schloss Eggenberg. I was clued in to this from this post on Joe Sixpack's blog, wherein he writes:

...this “lighter” version of the classic Santa Claus beer was made especially for the American market. “I don’t want to cannibalize Samichlaus in other countries,” Stohr writes. “America is the best market for Samichlaus.”

I’ve read elsewhere that this is he first time this version has been made in 20 years - I honestly don’t remember that one. The Helles pours much paler than the original Samichlaus. And by original, I mean the 10-year-old bottle from Hürlimann (its original Swiss brewer) that I compared it with over the weekend. It’s still quite strong at 14 percent alcohol, but the body is just a bit lighter; it’s a sipper but dangerously drinkable.

Take note, the "light" part of the name isn't equivalent to the American Macro notion of "lite"—it's every bit the super-strength Samichlaus we all know and love, just paler (brighter) than the original.

BeerAdvocate score: 7 reviews, 4.13/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.34/5, 71st percentile.

I wanted to include at least one German beer on the list this year, so today I'm going with the elusive Weihnacts Engel, from Crailsheimer Engel-Bräu. I say "elusive" because although this appears to be their flagship beer, it's not listed on BeerAdvocate and RateBeer only has 19 reviews online.

"Weihnachts Engel" loosely translated means "Christmas Angel" in English. This beer is an Oktoberfest style of lager, at 5.5% alcohol—not a heavyweight but a nice session beer to enjoy for the holidays.

BeerAdvocate score: none. RateBeer score: 2.49/5, 18th percentile (only 19 reviews).

Today's pick is Bocq Christmas, from Belgium's Brasserie du Bocq. It's a strong, spicy Belgian Dubbel (or Strong Ale, depending on which review site specs you follow) at 8.1% alcohol. Details from their site are a little skimpy, but here's what they say:

Appearance : dark colour, clear, fine and generous white head.
Flair : rich with a scent of coriander and liquorice.
Taste : full mouthed, heady, pleasant aroma of the typical special malts.
Remark : tasting between 8° and 12°C. Typical beer for the end of the year. High range beer to taste together with family or friends.

A great beer to accompany that Christmas meal—say, with roast beef and sharp cheddar, or ham with raisin sauce.

BeerAdvocate score: (older version) 85/100, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.53/5, 86th percentile.

Today's pick is St. Nikolaus Bock, from Pennsylvania Brewing in Philadelphia. Penn Brewing specializes in German style beers, and their Christmas brew is a rich 6% alcohol Bock:

A very rich, dark bock beer. Dark ruby in color with subtle tones of chocolate and burnt malt. It will warm you on a cold winter night and brighten your days. The perfect holiday gift for the beer drinker.

The brewery is also producing a special Brewer's Reserve batch of St. Nikolaus, bottled in 25 ounce bottles and presented in a velvet bag. Now that is something I'd like to find under the tree come Christmas morning!

BeerAdvocate score: 88/100, 98% approval. RateBeer score: 3.36/5, 74th percentile.

At some point I wanted to pick an Australian beer for the Advent Calendar, as I hadn't yet featured one this year or the previous two. So today's pick comes from the Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe, located in Sydney: Redoak Christmas Cheer. Redoak has an impressive repertoire of over 40 beers, and of their Christmas Cheer they write:

This beer is a rich full bodied dark ale with all the delicious ingredients of our grandmothers pudding, the alcohol content will please and the aroma and flavour will certainly surprise you. It brings back the fond memories of a festive season on these cold winter nights. This beer has to be tasted to be truly believed - it is sure to surprise you.

It's 6.2% alcohol, and I have to say, the "grandmother's (Christmas) pudding" character sounds intriguing. Pudding in the English sense of course... more of a bread or cake-like pudding. Yum.

BeerAdvocate score: 7 reviews, 3.79/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.55/5, 82nd percentile.

Today we head down to New Orleans to Abita Brewing Company for their seasonal offering, Abita Christmas Ale. Appropriately for a Christmas beer, each year is a bit different:

As befits any Christmas present, each years offering is a unique product crafted with special care. Generally, this beer is a dark ale, however, the recipe changes each year.

Not sure what the alcohol content on this is exactly, though an educated guess would be around 6%. Since it's a different recipe each year, this would be a fun beer to cellar and do vertical tastings with in later years, not unlike Sierra Nevada Celebration or Anchor's Christmas Ale.

BeerAdvocate score: 82/100, 82% approval. RateBeer score: 2.79/5, 29th percentile.

I decided to go with an old classic for today's beer pick: Jenlain Bière de Noël, from Brasserie Duyck in Northern France. This 6.8% alcohol Bière de Garde is brewed stronger than their "house" beer, in true yule tradition:

The tradition of Christmas beers is particular to northern Europe. In the years following the Second World War, the breweries used to sell an original, richer and stronger beer at the same price as year-round beers: this was their gift to their customers. The Duycks have perpetuated this custom by creating a special beer sold at the usual price.

It's available both in the 750ml champagne bottles and "standard" bottles (25cl, which is about 8 or 9 ounces) in sixpacks. This is another beer that I think would cellar well, so grab up a few bottles to store for Christmases to come.

BeerAdvocate score: 83/100, 89% approval. RateBeer score: 3.21/5, 62nd percentile.

Today's pick is St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, which is available for the first time this year. (It's new enough that they don't yet have it on their own website!)

It's a Belgian Strong Ale with a whopping 10% alcohol by volume. The reviews are positive and sound to me like there's a lot of sweetness and fruitiness in this beer, paired with "typical" Belgian spiciness—not unlike a good fruitcake, I'm thinking. Sounds like a perfect dessert beer.

And this might seem like a strange criteria for a beer, but I think it's the most festive bottle of this year's selection so far... it reminds me of a tree ornament. Very nice!

BeerAdvocate score: 87/100, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.73/5, 94th percentile.

I think this is the first year I've picked a Texas beer: Saint Arnold Christmas Ale. I don't normally associate "Texas" with "beer" (other than Shiner and—originally—Celis), but there's been something of a craft brewing renaissance happening in Texas, I understand, so I thought it was high time.

Saint Arnold Brewing is billed as "Texas' oldest craft brewery" and their Christmas Ale was their first seasonal, first brewed in November 1995. At 7% alcohol, it's brewed in the tradition of an Old Ale. I enjoy the description and history Saint Arnold provides:

This was the first seasonal we made. There has long been a tradition amongst brewers for making a special beer for the holidays. We decided on an old ale. The definition of this style has changed over the years. When we use the term, we use the old definition which describes big, malty, rich beers as they brewed in the olden days (as in a couple of hundred years ago—those olden days). Thus the name. (Today this name often implies a big beer that has been aged.)

We named it Christmas Ale because, well, that's the holiday most of us celebrate. Also, we didn't see anything particularly exclusive about calling it this. And we thought naming it this would set us apart from all the namby-pamby marketing wusses that tell people not to use "Christmas". We're yet to see anybody not drink this beer because of its name. So there, wussies.

And, for a little more on the beer itself, check out the Session blog entry from Akelas Biggins. Enjoy!

BeerAdvocate score: 84/100, 96% approval. RateBeer score: 3.41/5, 78th percentile.

I admit I picked today's beer based on the name alone: Ho! Ho! Christmas Ale from Diamond Knot Brewery in Mukilteo, Washington.

Diamond Knot is a waterfront brewpub overlooking Puget Sound, north of Seattle. You won't their beer bottled—particularly not the seasonals—so you'll have to visit the brewery itself (or the surrounding area, where you may find it on tap elsewhere) to enjoy a pint of this.

I love the name, and the beer sounds like no slouch either: 7.5% alcohol, they describe it as a "robust ‘winter warmer’ ale, ruby brown in color with a sweet, fruity nose. Very hoppy, yet balanced with a residual sweetness."

BeerAdvocate score: 2 reviews, 3.9/5, both thumbs-up. RateBeer score: 3.52/5, 83rd percentile.

Michael Jackson's first category of Winter Warmers from the excellent Ultimate Beer is that of Bocks, so fittingly I chose the Bock Beer from Austria's Augustiner Bräu brewery. This is brewed for Christmas—it could rightly be called Christmas Bock Bier (which is how BeerAdvocate lists it)—and it's a bit elusive, judging by the scarcity of reviews online.

It's a warming 6.5% alcohol, and of it the brewery says:

Christmas time is also a special time for beer drinkers – particularly so in Salzburg. This is demonstrated year after year, for great festivities need to be washed down with something "strong".
Available from the middle of November to the end of December, our festive Bock Beer is made using Stadlau Pilsen and Kara-Extra-Hell malts, as well as Hallertau-Spalt-Select and Saaz hops by Barth & Sohn, Nuremberg.

As scarce as it seems to be, this could stand to be the ultimate Christmas present!

BeerAdvocate score: 1 review, 4.05/5. RateBeer score: 2 reviews, 3.25/5.

Today's pick is Wild Goose Brewery's Snow Goose Winter Ale. This beer hails from Frederick, Maryland, and is classified by the brewery as a "strong English Ale" at 6.2% alcohol.

Wild Goose prides itself on brewing English style ales and mentions that they brew with Ringwood ale yeast, a distinctive yeast strain indigenous to England that imparts unique characters to the beers it ferments. A good article from the Real Beer archives on Ringwood can be found here. (I always find it interesting when a brewery name checks its yeast.)

Snow Goose is malty, hoppy, sweet and spicy that all blends together into a brandy-like character, something that's difficult to achieve without higher alcohol levels. It's a bold beer, very well suited to the cold winter months. And I bet it would pair well with that traditional Christmas goose...

BeerAdvocate score: 84/100, 98% approval. RateBeer score: 3.48/5, 83rd percentile.

An American classic, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale is today's pick. This intensely-hopped IPA sits at 6.8% alcohol and is widely regarded as one of the best American seasonal beers out there, as well as one of the oldest—it was first brewed in 1981!

Like a lot of these seasonals, this is a vintaged beer that can be cellared, as well. A great post on The Champagne of Blogs last month illustrates this: a vertical tasting of Celebration in Portland.

...an opportunity to do a true vertical tasting of six years of Sierra Nevada’s always amazing Celebration Ale. Woodstock Wine and Deli was offering 2002-2007 vintages on tap, in 6 oz. tasters, for the low-low price of $16. Celebration is probably my second-favorite holiday brew (no. 1 being Full Sail’s excellent “Wreck the Halls”), so I jumped at the chance.

Enjoy  a bottle of Celebration this Christmas, and put some more away for future holidays.

BeerAdvocate score: 90/100, 99% approval. RateBeer score: 3.8/5, 96th percentile.

I've been noticing—and been intrigued by—beers from Norway more and more lately, so I decided to pick a Norwegian beer for Day 5: Nøgne Ø God Jul. This is brewed in the style of a strong (8.5% alcohol) English Porter (according to BeerAdvocate; I might call this a Baltic or perhaps even an Imperial Porter):

A dark ale brewed specially for the Christmas season, with a rich, complex taste of caramel. This is a strong, dark and rather sweet Christmas Beer – just the way we think a Christmas beer should be.

Open up a bottle this holiday season and enjoy a "Good Yule" indeed. For some reason this seems like the perfect beer to follow up an evening of caroling.

BeerAdvocate score: 86/100, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.77/5, 95th percentile.

Nothing says Winter Warmer like an English ale, so I decided for Day 4 to go with a classic: Fuller's Old Winter Ale, a 5.3% alcohol seasonal available December through January.

This is a full, malty beer with nutty overtones and dark chocolate character well-balanced with classic English hops. Perfect for settling down next to the fire on a cold, snowy day, perhaps with a slice of Christmas fruitcake.

As Michael Jackson wrote:

It has a dark orange colour and Fuller's typical interplay of appetising flavours: in this case, fruity yeastiness; earthy, herbal hoppiness; and a big, firm, nutty, sweetness that suggests crystal malt. Slips down with perilous ease. My choice to welcome this new year, at my local pub.

BeerAdvocate score: 85/100, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.34/5, 73rd percentile.

This is the first year I've highlighted McMenamins' seasonal offering, Kris Kringle, and even though you can find it all over the Pacific Northwest—if you're near a McMenamins, that is—you can only find it here. This is a brewpub-only beer.

Each year's version of this is a bit different—I don't know if they tweak the recipe, or if it just varies naturally based on variables and locations—but this year's offering is really good, I think the best version I've had yet. The description they provide:

This "winter warmer" highlights the rich, toasty, aromatic and roast malt flavors and is subtly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. It is a medium-bodied, well-balanced ale with a garnet amber color.

The spices are blended really well without being overwhelming. The beer is 5.81% alcohol by volume, and it's available on tap at all McMenamins establishments throughout December.

BeerAdvocate score: only 1 review; 3.6/5. RateBeer score: 3.25/5, 60th percentile.

From Kiuchi Brewery in Japan comes my pick for Day 2: Hitachino Nest Celebration Ale. I picked it in part because a Japanese holiday ale intrigues me, and in part because there's some interesting details about this beer to dig up.

You'll notice from the brewery's website and the picture of the beer here (if you squint) that it's a 2005 beer—which seems to indicate that it's no longer available, but not so. BeerAdvocate displays an updated photo (no "2005") and the reviews are current. The US distributor's page on the beer is also up-to-date, so rest assured, this is still there for the taking.

Also interesting, the distributor (B. United International) lists this beer as an Eisbock—at 9% alcohol I'd believe that—while BeerAdvocate lists Winter Warmer. My guess? It's a bit of both—a Winter Warmer then given the Eisbock treatment to pump it up to a staggering 9% alcohol.

And that's not even the best of it: this beer is brewed with 5 different malts, 4 different hops, and a bounty of spices—orange peel, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla beans. A true holiday treat!

BeerAdvocate score: 88/100, 98% approval. RateBeer score: 3.66/5, 92nd percentile.

Sweet! It's spreading—the Bottles of Barley blog today posted the first of a daily "25 Beers of Christmas" series.

For the Christmas season, I've decided to do a review of 25 different beers, one each day in December, just like a beery advent calendar. I will be focusing on Christmas and winter seasonals but there may be other special treats I pull out of my cellar.

That is awesome. I can't wait to see what beers are coming up—it'll be interesting to see if there's any crossover with my list.

(And no, I can't take any credit for inspiring this.)

December and the holiday season are upon us again! This is my favorite time of year, especially here on the Brew Site: I have far too much fun picking beers for my daily Advent Beer Calendar and blogging about them. This is the third year now I've been running this feature and hopefully it's as much fun for everybody else as it is for me.

This year's first beer for the Calendar comes from Boston, Massachusetts, and one of America's older craft breweries: Harpoon Brewery's Winter Warmer. Available from November to January, it's a moderately dark, spiced ale that is 5.5% alcohol by volume. Brewed since 1988, the spices used are cinnamon and nutmeg and pack that holiday kick.

I selected Harpoon for the 1st also because today is their 4th Annual Harpoon Helps Spread Holiday Cheer event:

On Saturday, December 1st, 2007, we will be sending Harpoon Helpers to various locations throughout Boston (shelters, soup kitchens, play spaces, etc.) and this year, we will also be helping spread holiday cheer in cities all over New England, including Portland, ME, Worcester, MA, Providence, RI, Hartford, CT, Manchester, NH, and Windsor, VT/Lebanon, NH.

The "Harpoon Helpers" go out and decorate those various locations for the holidays; in addition, they hold a gift drive for the people at the shelters they're decorating. If that's not a great way to kick off this holiday season, I don't know what is.

BeerAdvocate score: 78/100, 69% approval. RateBeer score: 3.23/5, 64th percentile.

Merry Christmas all! I hope everybody got what they asked for and is having a good holiday. I'll probably be mostly offline for the next couple of days (although I should have my latest 50 Beers to Drink post up on Wednesday)... in the meantime, I wanted to recap the 24 beers from this year's Advent Beer Calendar:

1. Anchor Christmas Ale
2. Bison Gingerbread Ale
3. Papa Noel's Olde Ale
4. Lump of Coal Stout
5. Bah Humbug
6. Doggie Claws
7. Tannen Bomb
8. Scaldis Noël
9. Great Lakes Christmas Ale
10. Père Noël
11. Wreck the Halls
12. Holiday Spiced Ale
13. Samichlaus
14. Brooklyn Monster Ale
15. Young's Christmas Pudding Ale
16. He'Brew Monumental Jewbelation
17. Santa's Little Helper
18. Hochstift Weihnachts Bier
19. The Mad Elf
20. La Choulette de Noël
21. YuleSmith Holiday Ale
22. Solstice d'Hiver
23. Stone Imperial Russian Stout
24. Sonora Festivus Ale

And, coming up in the next few days, a chance to gloat on my blog a bit... I've got a 1996 bottle of Samichlaus Bier that I'll be drinking, and I'll post pics and a review and make everybody jealous. :)

Merry Christmas!

You thought I'd pick a beer with "Christmas" or something in the name for the final day, didn't you? Faked you out! I went with Frank Costanza's fictional holiday of Festivus because—well, why not? :)

Sonoran Brewing Company in Arizona brews their Festivus Ale this time of year, an American IPA style at 5% alcohol. I believe they only serve it on tap at their brewpub in Phoenix, though, so you'll have to make the trek if you want to try it. Though I can't imagine most people will complain about Phoenix in winter...

On BeerAdvocate there are only two reviews, but they average out to 3.85 out of 5.

Today is my birthday (yay!), so I thought I'd be totally self-indulgent in my beer pick. This is not nominally a holiday-themed beer, but it's a high-alcohol, special release ale from Stone Brewing: Imperial Russian Stout.

Stone is making some of the best American beer around, and I can't think of a better birthday selection than a bottle of this. Or more than one... in various vintages, of course.

Its BeerAdvocate score: 93/100, 100% approval—one of the highest scores of any beer I've seen.

To commemorate the winter solstice, I chose an appropriate beer: Solstice d'Hiver, from the Brasserie Dieu de Ciel brewpub in Montréal. In their own words:

This noble winter beer is brown in colour with flaming red highlights. It has a complex aroma of fruits, alcohol and hops. Its taste is delicately sweet and liquor-like with a hint of burnt caramel. The aftertaste is accentuated by the wonderful flavour of hops.

This is an American-style barleywine with 8.5% alcohol, a nice mild warmer for the shortest day of the year. There are only five reviews on BeerAdvocate, not enough for a final score but the average is 4.26 out of 5 (all reviewers give thumbs up).

Today's pick is YuleSmith Holiday Ale, brought to you by AleSmith Brewing. AleSmith actually makes two versions of this beer: one in winter, and one in summer (strangely enough). Of their winter version, they say:

For the winter season, YuleSmith is brewed as an Imperial Red Ale. This version is maltier, more balanced, and darker in color than the summer version. Although quite malty, big hop flavors and aromas are abundant making this an unforgettable winter warmer. Winter YuleSmith is packaged in traditional holiday red and green.

This is a big beer, at 9.5% alcohol. This is also one of the highest-scoring beers on BeerAdvocate, with 93/100 and 100% approval, which is no mean feat with 288 reviews.

Today I'm picking another beer that I also selected last year: La Choulette de Noël. This Bière de Garde from France is, like all of this style, very complex and subtle at the same time. Their page notes,

Habillée d’ambre brun aux chatoyants reflets cuivrés, coiffée d’une belle mousse beige et dense, telle est la Choulette de Noël qui, pour cet hiver 2006, ravira palais et papilles.

Which roughly means, "Amber brown in color with sparkling copper highlights, topped with a beautiful thick head of beige, the winter of 2006's La Choulette de Noël will delight the tastebuds." You bet it will.

The BeerAdvocate reviewers score it 85/100, with 97% approval.

Not to confuse anybody with a holiday beer that rhymes with Bad Elf (and a controversy, to boot), but today's pick is Tröegs The Mad Elf. A bottle of this might make you mad, as well! It's an 11% alcohol ale brewed with honey and cherries, which lend it a ruby red color. I'd wager to say that makes this a pretty unique brew—I don't know of many high-alcohol beers brewed with fruit like this.

And I've been seeing favorable reviews of it lately. Needless to say, I want some of this beer.

On BeerAdvocate it scores 87/100 with 96% of reviewers approving.

I wanted to pick a German beer somewhere along the way, and settled today on Hochstift Weihnachts Bier, a Christmas-themed Bock ("Weihnachten" is "Christmas" in German). What can I tell you about this beer? Not much, since the page is entirely in German and there's only one review so far on its BeerAdvocate page.

No matter. Weihnachts is at 5.2% alcohol, which I'm thinking would make a nice aperitif to the Christmas dinner.

And, trivial fun: Bocks are often traditionally associated with Capricorn, the sign of the goat. The dates for Capricorn are December 22 through January 20... just in time for Christmas. :)

Today I'm getting really local: Central Oregon's own Cascade Lakes Brewing's Santa's Little Helper. This is a tidy little winter warmer that fills a comfortable niche at 6.4% alcohol. It's what I drink during the winter months whenever I'm down at their Lodge.

Its BeerAdvocate page thus far only has nine reviews, so no final score, but all the reviews have given it their thumbs up.

In a tip of the hat to the start of Hanukkah, I picked He'Brew Monumental Jewbelation. This is a limited edition, tenth anniversary version of their Jewbelation seasonal, with 10% alcohol.

And, the number ten is represented abundantly in this beer: 10 different malts used, 10 hops in 10 additions and 100 minutes for the boil. This is a big beer all around, with lots of flavors and strength—it would be a good one to cellar, even.

Only 19 reviews so far on BeerAdvocate, but all are positive and they score it 86/100.

This sounds good, which is why I picked it for today: Young's Christmas Pudding Ale. Their own website speaks highly of it:

If you are seeking a feisty ale to accompany the season's festivities, look no further than Young's Christmas Pudding Ale. It's so magnificent and merry making that you will want to put it in a bowl and pour brandy sauce all over it.

With it's warming, dark ruby character and splendid luscious flavours of dried fruit, Young's Christmas Pudding Ale is an inspirational addition to a traditional Christmas feast or fire-side gathering.

Bold statement! Fortunately, the BeerAdvocate reviews back it up. There's not enough to compute a final score, but all the reviews are positive and yes, it sounds like the beer tastes like a rich, almondy Christmas pudding.

Today I went with one that may not seem all that holiday-themed: Brooklyn Brewery's Monster Ale. This is a vintaged, limited edition barleywine that makes its appearance during the winter months.

I also like the bottle design; it reminds me of a Christmas tree ornament, all glittery silver with green. Not one I would mind finding hanging on the tree...

On BeerAdvocate it scores 85/100 with 96% thumbs-up from reviewers. Look for rich, complex flavors and a lot of alcohol—10.5% by volume.

What is there to say about Samichlaus Bier that hasn't already been said? It was my final advent calendar pick last year, and I'm not sure you could include a list of Christmas beers without mentioning Samichlaus.

Nevertheless, for me this is the King of Christmas Beers. Rolling in at 14% alcohol—the world record holder for lagers—this is the beer that you'll seek out past vintages of. And if you tell other beer aficionados you have a bottle of this, they'll be openly jealous.

Today's beer comes from this glowing recommendation from Hedonist Beer Jive: 21st Amendment's Holiday Spiced Ale. You'll only be able to pick up this beer in San Francisco, though; they have it on draft and in 22-ounce bottles to go. Their description:

Our special holiday offering is sure to brighten up the holidays with a deep copper color and rich malty flavors. Brewed with secret holiday spices reminiscent of those holidays sitting around your grandmother's kitchen while she made minced pie and kept telling your brother to keep his fingers out of the whipped cream. Mmmm, pie.

And that recommendation I linked to says:

I did a fly-by after work and picked one up – and have to say, this is seriously one of the best holiday beers I’ve ever had. It balances 8% alcohol with the most lush batch of spices known to man – jeez, I don’t know what they are, but I tasted just about everything in there – cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, and maybe even some cocoa dust or something. It’s got a medium body that makes it go down really easily, and yet is most certifiably a strong ale, made both for beer lovers and lovers of beer.

Here's the page for it on BeerAvocate, but there's only one review so far. This definitely sounds like a winner.

Via this blog, I got a kick of this picture of a "real" beer advent calendar. I like how the numbers are all in random order...

Today's pick is Full Sail's "Brewmaster's Reserve" offering, with a gimmicky name that I get a kick out of: Wreck the Halls. It's a big hoppy IPA and while not spicy or extra-strong or fruity like a lot of the other seasonal offerings, you'll be glad to find this under the tree.

(Just don't drink too many and wreck the halls for real!)

On BeerAdvocate it scores 87/100 with 98% approval. Look for lots of hop character in this one.

Today's pick is Père Noël from Brouwerij De Ranke in Belgium. There's not much on their website, but I found this description on Liquid Solutions:

Cloudy and light orange in color with a big persistent head. Spicy, grassy aroma. Sweet malt flavor with some peppery spiciness. Finishes with a fruity, citricy flavor. It has a great hop profile especially for a Belgian. This is one tasty Belgian beer, well worth the price.

Get a load of that packaging, too. Pre-wrapped to be put under the tree!

BeerAdvocate scores it at 87/100, with 92% of reviews approving. Many reviews mention nice fruit flavors and a (very) dry finish.

Today my pick is the Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Company, a "holiday ale brewed with honey and spiced with fresh ginger and cinnamon." Nicely moderate in alcohol (7.5%—compared to some of these picks, anyway!), this beer has won two gold medals and one silver at the World Beer Championships.

On BeerAdvocate it's well-received with a score of 87/100 and 97% approval. Look for honey and ginger notes, spices, vanilla and caramel/brown sugar.

And I know this is entirely subjective, but I really like the label design on this beer for some reason. Simple and straightforward.

Scaldis Noël is known in Belgium proper as Bush de Noël. Brewed by Brasserie Dubuisson, this beer is an astounding 12% alcohol. It's a limited edition beer, and the site says,

This is a sweet beer with a pleasant flavour of hops. Indeed, for Bush de Noël, the brewer uses a traditional process which consists in placing hops flowers in the vats where the beer rests for four to six weeks by which time it will have reached full maturity, giving it a very distinctive taste.

Expect a warming, sweet, fruity beer with lots of character and nuance. A good beer to sip with Christmas dessert or a rich, spicy fruitcake.

BeerAdvocate score: 87/100, 98% approval. This would definitely be a winner to find under the tree!

Today's pick is Tannen Bomb from Golden Valley Brewery. I confess I picked it as much because I liked the naming pun as for the fact that it's a well-received beer. Golden Valley's description says

Tannen Bomb was rated third in the nation by the Beverage Testing Institute two years in a row. This is our strongest Ale with a massive malt complex specially brewed to take the chill off the cold winter months. The bold malt complex is well balanced and refined with generous hopping of Chinook, Liberty, and Fuggles, and dry-hopped with Kent Goldings for an aromatic finish.

That makes an interesting hop profile. The beer is 8% alcohol.

The BeerAdvocates like it: it scores 85 and has a 100% approval rating (only 23 reviews, though).

Today's pick is Doggie Claws from Hair of the Dog Brewing, a hefty barleywine that weighs in at 11.5% alcohol. Hair of the Dog brews some distinctive beers and Doggie Claws is no exception. They call it "a Barley Wine made in the West Coast style," which means it will be hugely hopped and malty.

Over on BeerAdvocate, it scores 89/100, with 97% approval. The reviews talk about huge rich aromas and a lot of sweet flavors—caramel, toffee, honey, brown sugar, port, dark fruits, and more. I particularly like the comment of "honey-dipped hop cone effect."

With Lump of Coal yesterday there might appear to be a theme with today's Bah Humbug Christmas beer from Wychwood Brewery. This beer is "full of seasonal spices and rich Michaelmas pickings" and holds forth at 6.2% alcohol.

There are mixed reviews on BeerAdvocate, but overall the beer scores 82 out of 100 with 91% approval.

And if you want to get all literary, you could pair this beer with BridgePort's Ebenezer Ale. That's as clever as the Dickens!

This is one lump of coal you wouldn't mind getting in your stocking: Lump of Coal Stout from Ridgeway Brewing, of the "Bad Elf" beer fame. Yes, that's the brewer whose labels are creating a stir back east.

Billed as a bittersweet chocolate stout, it'll keep you warm at 8% alcohol. The BeerAdvocate reviews talk of chocolate flavors, tangy fruit, sweet and sour, black licorice, and coffee. They give it a score of 80/100, with 81% approval.

Today I selected Papa Noel's Olde Ale from Alameda Brewhouse. Of it, their website says:

Papa Noel's has a pleasing sweetness from its higher-than-normal alcoholic content, and from its complex malt foundation. This sweetness is balanced by a hint of roasted flavor, as well as a mellow bitterness imparted by a generous amount of English Fuggle hops. Other flavors in evidence are bittersweet chocolate, caramel, and toffee. Papa Noel's Olde Ale is the perfect brew to warm the body and nourish the soul during the cold and wet holiday season.

It's a 7.2% alcohol old ale/winter warmer. On BeerAdvocate there are not enough reviews for a full score, but the nine they have so far describe rich, spicy, cherries, and chocolate. Yum!

Today's pick is Bison Brewing's Gingerbread Ale. (Insert "run run run just as fast as you can!" joke here.) This sounds really good to me... on their site, they describe it as:

Our spiced holiday porter is brewed with ginger, nutmeg, and a touch of cinnamon, yielding the aroma of fresh baked Gingerbread men! The chewy, dark malt flavors are sure to smooth out that dinner with the in-laws.

The BeerAdvocate reviews mention the gingerbread aroma, as well. This sounds like a good dessert beer to me—with flavors of gingerbread, chocolate, spice, and some coffee, I don't think you could miss. And I liked how well Bison did their Chocolate Stout, so my confidence in this beer is high.

Incidentally, the BeerAdvocate score is 82/100, with 86% approval.

It's time for the Beer Advent Calendar again! Each day from the first through the twenty-fourth I pick a different holiday-themed beer. All for fun, of course, but wouldn't it be cool if there was a beer-of-the-month club-type service that did this for real?

I'm starting this year as I did last year, with Anchor's Our Special Ale (Christmas Ale). This is the thirty-second time they have brewed this beer (since 1975), and every year it's a different recipe and a different label.

In fact, you can check out all the previous year's labels on Anchor's site. Very cool.

Over on BeerAdvocate, this year's beer scores 87/100 with 98% approval from reviewers. From their reviews it sounds like a spicy beer with hints of pine and dark fruit.

Well, for the final day on the Advent Calendar, it's Samichlaus, of course! "Samichlaus" means Santa Claus, so I can't think of a better beer for our final day and for Christmas Eve. I've written about it before, so it's no surprise I think highly of this beer. In general, though, you'll either love it or hate it.

When I wrote about this last year, the BeerAdvocate score was 88; now it's dropped a point to 87, though it has a 94% approval rating.

It's been fun writing the Beer Advent Calendar this month, I hope everyone enjoyed it. If I don't get back on tomorrow for a bit, have a Merry Christmas!

I picked today's beer simply because I liked the name: Gritty McDuff's Christmas Ale. I don't really know much else about it, but the website says:

Our Christmas Ale is a robust E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter) full of holiday cheer. Christmas Ale has a lovely, dark red/amber color and a rich, full-bodied, malty taste with a slightly roasted undertone.... Gritty's Christmas Ale has no additives, fruits or spices. It's just a good honest ale, perfect for the season.

On BeerAdvocate it's racked up a decent 86, with 95% approval. (Only three of those reviews are from this year, however.)

Sounds like a decent beer. And the name "Gritty McDuff" just makes me smile. :)

Today's beer is Holiday Spice Lager from Lakefront Brewery in Wisconsin. You don't see too many lagers as holiday beers (or at least, I haven't come across many while doing this), especially one as potent as this: brewed with honey, oranges and spices, it weighs in at an astounding 9.5% alcohol by volume! The website says:

This beer uses two pounds of honey per pound of malt in its brew, making it an exceptional fortified holiday specialty beer which will keep for years. The spices and hops balance the sweetness of the honey and malt to give this lightly hopped beer its perfect flavor.

Wow. That's a serious beer. BeerAdvocate scores it 88, with 97% approval. Most of the reviews I looked at agree that this beer is heavy on the spices, though not in a detrimental way, and the high alcohol content is well-hidden. I guess that means you'd better watch out when drinking this if you don't already know how strong it is. :)

Today's nod goes to Old Jubilation Ale from Avery Brewing Company in Colorado. It's a big beer; at 8% alcohol by volume, the site says it's "cellarable" for two years. My kind of beer!

Sounds like a winner, too: the website describes "a hint of hazelnuts, and a finish reminiscent of mocha and toffee." And on BeerAdvocate, where it scores 87 with 99% approval, a number of reviews mention toffee, hazelnuts, coffee, sweet fruits, and chocolate.

That's a nice thing about beers like this, and the holiday beers in general: complexity. These beers are meant to be savored and enjoyed, not guzzled down like their lighter brethren.

Only three more days left!

Sorry for the late post! Since it's late, it'll be a shorter one, too.

Today I picked Boulevard Nutcracker Ale from Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri. It looks to be a medium-amber winter warmer, at 6.1% alcohol. Their website says it's a "classic winter ale, deep amber in color, with hints of molasses."

BeerAdvocate rates it at a solid 85 (out of 100), with 100% approval. Sounds good to me! (Anyone want to send me some?)

I picked today's beer based on a glowing review by Alan of A Good Beer Blog: La Choulette De Noël. However, this won't be a beer for the faint of heart, I think; Alan writes:

Dark copper ale under an off-white creamy rich head. The aroma is horse blanket which sat in rotting potato peels for a week. Sound disgusting? It is not but that is French country ale - beer for people who eat blue cheese and the flesh of horses. A touch of fig and date below and a bit of nut, too. Hazelnut cracked shell - dry and dusty within the richness.

And over on BeerAdvocate, this review note caught my eye:

The idea here seems to be "transparency" — what some may describe as "thinness." The point is to capture natural, ordained flavor in the most discreetly textured medium possible. On that measure, this is a stunning success.

It scores 85 over there, with 96% thumbs-up.

After reading the reviews, I'm coveting this beer. It would be, as Alan says, "the prize."

Back to America again with today's beer, Anderson Valley's Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale. I've enjoyed Anderson Valley's beer in the past (they brew a good amber), but haven't had this one. They say:

Luscious, creamy, smooth, and warming, this medium bodied ale is brewed with Caramel and crystal malts to give it just a hint of sweetness, then paired with our private blend of holiday spice.

It racks up a score of 85 on BeerAdvocate, 95% approval. It sits at a hefty 6.9% alcohol.

Anderson Valley's website indicates that Winter Solstice is "going fast," so you'd probably better grab a bottle if you see it. Unless you think that's just marketing hype... but you could grab a bottle anyway. :)

I didn't realize until today that I hadn't included any German beers on the Beer Advent Calendar... so I'll rectify that now. Mahr's Christmas Bock is today's selection.

Based on the BeerAdvocate profile (the website is all German, with no English that I can find), this is a malty maibock style weighing in at 6.5% alcohol by volume. It's not a typical holiday beer; one review notes:

You have to love the Germans. While everyone else is putting out holiday ales that are either spiced or hopped to the heavens, the Deutschland takes this time of year to put out a malt bomb.

And another says,

I don't know what makes this a 'Christmas' bock, as nothing in this beer really stands out. But taken all together - it is mighty fine.

It scores a respectable 84 with 96% approval.

Today we have Santa's Private Reserve from the incomparable Rogue Brewery here in Oregon. This beer is essentially a double-hopped St. Rogue Red, including "a mystery hop called Rudolph". But don't let that fool you; if you find this beer, you'll be in for a treat.

It scores 87 on BeerAdvocate, with 99% approval. It also has more positive and 4+ (out of 5) scores on the first page of reviews than any other beer I've looked up so far, I think. The same holds true on the second and third pages, too... though frankly, that's what I would expect from a Rogue Ale.

...Yes, in my opinion they're that good. I do wish they would brew more seasonals, though. Perhaps next year...

This beer clocks in at 6% alcohol—not huge, but consider that you'll likely find this in 22-ounce bottles... meaning, you'll feel the kick when you're done with one!

We're over halfway to Christmas and through the Beer Advent Calendar... today I picked Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale. It's not a beer you find on its own anymore, but in Sam Adams' Winter Classics 12-packs. According to the web site, this is the "Christmas cookie of beer," brewed with cinnamon, ginger and orange peel and weighs in at 5.9% alcohol.

On BeerAdvocate it scores 85, with 97% approval. A lot of the reviews talk about how sweet the beer is, along with the strong spice characteristics imparted by the cinnamon and orange peel, in particular.

Sam Adams offers several holiday beers, not to mention their "extreme" beers... selecting just one was tricky—mostly since I haven't tried their holiday offerings! But the Holiday Porter looked good, too... who knows, maybe that'll show up on this list before it's over.

Ahh, Full Sail Brewing—one of the flagship breweries of Oregon. And their Wassail is a nice festive selection for today. Wassail is brewed "with four different malts and a blend of imported hops," and has 6.5% alcohol by volume.

BeerAdvocate: 86 (out of 100) with 96% thumbs-up. In the interest of fairness, though, I'll point out that on the first page of reviews, there is the widest disparity between two reviewers that I've seen: one gives a score of 1.65 (out of 5), the other 4.5. The low review says:

I can't believe I'm drinking the same beer as other people, or the same beer as I've had in years past, for that matter. This beer is, in a word, lame. And sad. And pretty close to tasteless.

Whereas the high-end review says, "The taste is pure heaven...malt, cinnamon, more malt, chocolate. Lots of volume, and nothing left behind. The flavor just goes on and on.... I absolutely love this beer. Superb!"

Go figure. I'll say this though: I've never been disappointed with this beer. It's definitely worth it if you can find it.

Today I selected the Winter Ale from the always-reliable Alaskan Brewing Company. This beer has the distinguishing quality of being brewed with spruce tips—yes, spruce tips from trees. Why?

From the seafaring adventurers of the 1700's to the homebrewers of today, adding spruce tips to beer has a rich history in Southeast Alaska. The tender new growth of Sitka spruce tips lends a delicious, yet subtly sweet floral aroma to tea, jelly and now Alaskan Winter Ale.

Spruce beers are one of those rare styles that originated in Colonial North America (U.S. and Canada); spruce was often used in place of hops (when hops were lacking) and as a flavoring agent. I've heard that a flavor characteristic of a spruce beer is Pepsi-like, though I can't vouch for that.

There's a good overall score of 85 on BeerAdvocate, with 95% thumbs-up, though there are several unfavorable reviews.

The Alaskan web site also offers food recommendations (and you know I like those):

Serve with roast goose, turkey, ham or lamb. A nice complement to holiday breads pound cake, or apple pie.

Today's pick is from Belgium: Fantôme Spéciale De Noël. This monster has 10% alcohol by volume, and this strength is not for the faint of heart—if you don't like barleywines, it's probable that you won't like this, either.

Part of the reason I picked it is because I rather liked the name; literally translated (ignoring the obvious "special" part), it becomes "Ghost of Christmas" or "Christmas Ghost." I like the Dickensian Christmas Carol sound of that, although the label is a little more cartoony than the "ghost of Christmas future" image floating around in my head.

BeerAdvocate gives it a score of 88, with a solid 99% approval rating. From reading the reviews I think you can expect an atypically-strong Belgian beer through-and-through. Here's a sample:

The flavor was smooth as silk with a nice caramel maltiness coupled with dark fruit flavors of raisins, figs, prunes and plums. The bittering from the hops balanced the flavors and kept the malt charge in check. The flavor was earthy and spicy and well achieved. The complexity was very, very nice and those same bready aromas came forth in the flavor.

Sounds excellent.

What, you think I'd let Seriously Bad Elf get by without being selected after I'd written about it? This beer's a whopping 9% alcohol by volume, a "very English interpretation of a Belgian Tripel" according to the link.

I can't vouch for it, though—but I do like the bottle :). BeerAdvocate gives it a decent score of 85, but the approval rating is 87%—the lowest approval of the beers I've selected so far. So, your mileage may vary.

I picked up a six-pack of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale today and realized it would be an ideal pick for today's beer. Sierra Nevada is one of America's oldest and best craft breweries, and their beers prove it. Celebration Ale scores an outstanding 90 (out of a hundred) on BeerAdvocate with 99% approval.

I always like it when the website offers suggested food pairings; Sierra Nevada's is:

With an ale as big as Celebration, you need a dish assertive enough to hold its own. Rich meats such as prime rib, lamb, or wild fowl underscore Celebration’s huge aroma, making a wonderful holiday meal. Intense, earthy pastas also work well—try goat cheese ravioli, a rich fettuccine, or gnocchi with Gorgonzola cheese sauce.

I haven't sampled any of the six-pack I bought today, but now I'm looking forward to it tomorrow!

Today I've picked New Belgium Brewing's Frambozen. It's a tasty raspberry brown ale, with respectable strength (7% ABV) and delightful fruit flavor. It makes for a great holiday brew for people who don't like overly heavy, dark, or strong beers.

About this year's vintage, New Belgium's site says:

Brewer Bill Hepp traveled to Oregon this year to oversee the selection and shipment process. He describes the first moment he experienced this year’s harvest.

“The room was redolent with the thick, summery aroma of fresh, red raspberries,” Bill recalls. “I opened the drum, untied the plastic liner, and scooped out a handful. Putting a few in my mouth, I could tell immediately that this was going to be an excellent year for Frambozen.”

An exceptionally warm growing season made for sweet fruits with a pleasantly tart finish.

I guess I'd better pick some up...

BeerAdvocate gives it a score of 85, with 92% approval. Some of the reviews mention a chocolate tone to the beer, which I don't remember noticing before, so perhaps it's particular to this year's batch...?

Today's beer is not only a seasonal, it's also the first 9% alcohol-by-volume beer brewed in North Carolina since the state raised it's alcohol limit from 6% this year: Weeping Radish Brewery's Christmas Doppelbock.

The BeerAdvocate reviews don't really apply here, as they were for the previously 5.8% alcohol Doppelbock... but of that, it scored a commendable 84.

You may not find this beer outside of the Eastern Seaboard, but you can order it online: 12 12-ounce bottles for $34.99, or $36.99 if you're west of the Mississippi River, with $7.95 shipping. However, even though their website says they use SSL encryption for the order form, I've just tested that out and the order form is not on a secure page. I've emailed them about this, but for now, if you try to submit your credit card, you'll be doing so at your own risk.

Today I'm coming back closer to home and selecting BridgePort's Ebenezer Ale. It's a rich, strong, medium-hoppy beer. It's been awhile since I've had this, but from what I remember it was a pleasantly strong winter warmer. Though reading some of the reviews on BeerAdvocate makes me think I missed something:

Cinnamon potpourri aromas. Gaudy Christmas "craft store" fragrance with too many scented candles and altogether too many cinnamon knick-knacks. Red grapes and a bit of a vinous tone appears.

Flavors of cinnamon-dusted cherries. Rich moist holiday spice cake. A flurry of rugged alcohol burn. Maltiness of caramel and toffee. A modest dusting of cocoa powder. Dry hoppiness. Slight fruitiness in the aftertaste.

Others similar to that make me think "fruitcake." But it did well overall: 84 out of 100 and 94% thumbs-up. Pick up a sixpack and try it out; hopefully you won't be saying "humbug" :).

Today we travel to France for Brasserie Duyck's Bière De Noël, a Saison-style ale that is, according to their website, "Darker than the traditional amber beer, its torrefied undertones are reminiscent of flowers and caramel."

The site also notes:

Produced with more malt than Jenlain Ambrée (3 different types of malt made from French grown barley and 3 varieties of the most aromatic hops from Alsace), this top fermented, unpasteurized beer, best served at between 6 and 8°C, has a rich amber glow, a denser head and stronger alcohol content (6.8% alcohol by volume).

Sounds good to me. Though I