The Brew Site
December 6 is Saint Nicholas Day, the feast day in many western European countries celebrating Nicholas of Myra, from which “Santa Claus” is derived. As befitting a day dedicated to Santa Claus, today’s beer Advent pick is Doggie Claws, from Portland, Oregon-based Hair of the Dog Brewing. Doggie Claws is … Continue reading
My latest article for The Bulletin focuses on a new beer from Bevel Craft Brewing that’s a bit of a departure from the brewery’s usual hop-forward offerings: Max Weight, a wee heavy. Naturally I touch on the style a little bit before getting into Bevel’s brew. Wee heavies are characterized … Continue reading
Tonight is Krampus Night, which in central European folklore celebrates Krampus, the companion of St. Nicholas who punished children who misbehave. Krampusnacht occurs on the eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6, during which Krampus appears on the street to dispense coal and bundles of birch branches. As … Continue reading
No discussion of Christmas beer is complete without talking about Belgian Christmas beers. The Belgians are not shy about brewing rich beers with a variety of spices as end-of-the-year specialties, and arguably our modern notion of “Christmas beer” can be credited to the breweries of Belgium. I always include some … Continue reading
Since today’s Beer Advent Calendar post highlighted Winter Warmer from Harpoon Brewery, I decided to post the reviews of Harpoon’s fall beers the brewery recently sent me. Harpoon leaned heavily into the autumn theme with these offerings (three beers and a cider), three of which are brewed with pumpkin. (By … Continue reading
For this third day of December, the Advent beer selection is a New England classic and another long-running craft tradition: Winter Warmer from Boston, Massachusetts’ Harpoon Brewery. For over three decades this ale has heralded the holiday season with its signature spice profile—cinnamon and nutmeg. Harpoon was founded in 1986, … Continue reading
For 34 years, Louisiana’s Abita Brewing Company has been crafting a wide range of beers that focuses on easy drinking and embraces the brewery’s southern, New Orleans-adjacent roots. One of the oldest and largest craft breweries in America, Abita offers up a seasonal Christmas Ale which was first brewed not … Continue reading
Next year, 2021, Oregon’s Pelican Brewing is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and to celebrate, the brewery released its 2021 brewing calendar. On the docket: three new year-round beers, and four special collaboration beers brewed with “Pelican Alumni” to be released each quarter. We first visited Pelican way back in 1998, … Continue reading
Deschutes Brewery introduced the latest addition to its “Fresh” family of beers in September, Royal Fresh Imperial IPA, joining the year-round lineup alongside best-selling Fresh Squeezed IPA, Fresh Haze IPA, and Lil’ Squeezy Juice Ale (and now, apparently, Squeezy Rider West Coast IPA). It’s a behemoth at 9% ABV and … Continue reading
What a year 2020 has been! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been looking forward to this year’s Beer Advent Calendar as a bright spot to help count down and celebrate this holiday season. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced how I’ve picked beers to feature each day; … Continue reading