Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 22: Red Hill Christmas Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 22: Red Hill Christmas Ale

Today’s Advent beer pick takes us down under to Australia, where they just celebrated their Summer Solstice and are enjoying warm weather. Red Hill Brewery is “a unique, independent microbrewery located amidst it’s own hop garden on the top of Red Hill on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.” If you visit you … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 21: Solstice Winter Schnocker

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 21: Solstice Winter Schnocker

Today is the Winter Solstice, the day in the Northern Hemisphere that is the shortest day and longest night of the year. (As a bonus to the astronomical significance of the day, it’s also the new moon.) To observe and commemorate the day I thought I’d select a beer from … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 20: Avery Old Jubilation Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 20: Avery Old Jubilation Ale

For today I picked a classic holiday ale from Colorado’s Avery Brewing, one sure to help capture the spirit of the season: Old Jubilation Ale. Avery calls this an English Old Ale, but to my mind at 8.3% alcohol this is really approaching a Barleywine—a lovely sipping beer to enjoy … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 19: Engel Weihnachtsbier

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 19: Engel Weihnachtsbier

Today’s beer pick comes from the Engel Brewery (Biermanufaktur Engel) in Germany and is named for the German word for Christmas, Weihnachten: Engel Weihnachtsbier. Interestingly enough, I cannot find much information about this beer online (on the ratings sites, for instance), but this is a 5.5% winter lager (“festival beer”) their … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 18: Thiriez Bière De Noël

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 18: Thiriez Bière De Noël

Today’s Advent pick comes from France, from Brasserie Thiriez located in the town of Esquelbecq, north near the Belgian border. Thiriez was founded in 1996 and is “situated on the grounds that formerly housed the Poitevin farm brewery, which was active and served the local area until 1945” (according to … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 17: Jolly Roger Christmas Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 17: Jolly Roger Christmas Ale

Maritime Pacific Brewing Company opened in 1990 in Seattle, Washington’s Ballard district, adopting a seafaring theme as a salute to Seattle’s maritime history. In 1997 they opened the Jolly Roger Taproom named, as they say, “in honor of our most popular holiday brew”: Jolly Roger Christmas Ale. Appropriately the taproom … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 15: Atwater Lebkuchen Christmas Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 15: Atwater Lebkuchen Christmas Ale

Today’s beer Advent pick comes from Detroit and the Atwater Brewery. Atwater got its start in 1997 and each year brews a Winter Bock seasonal; this year however they also released their Lebkuchen Christmas Ale (with a label design reminiscent of an ugly Christmas sweater). Lebkuchen is brewed to 6.5% … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 14: Samuel Adams White Christmas

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 14: Samuel Adams White Christmas

I can’t help but get Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” (as sung by Bing Crosby) stuck in my head every time I see today’s Advent beer: Samuel Adams White Christmas. Song aside (though it is a great one), the beer itself is, as the name suggests, a Belgian-styled Witbier, though instead of … Continue reading