The Brew Site
Today, the 12th, marks the halfway point for the Beer Advent Calendar, and I’ve chosen one of my favorite Christmas beers for today’s Advent pick—one that has been featured every single year I’ve been doing this calendar: Anchor Christmas Ale. It was first brewed in 1975, and this year is … Continue reading
Today’s Advent beer pick is one you can get at two opposite ends of the country: Fat Head’s Holly Jolly Christmas Ale. Fat Head’s Brewery originated in Cleveland, Ohio, has an additional location in Pittsburgh, and just recently opened up their newest location in Portland, Oregon—quite a leap! I was in … Continue reading
In French-speaking regions of the world, Père Noël is the Christmas gift-bringer analogous to Santa Claus or Father Christmas (which is in fact the literal translation of “Père Noël”). So it’s a fun play to find a Christmas beer named the same, which is what Belgium’s Brouwerij De Ranke brews … Continue reading
Burton-upon-Trent in England is one of the great brewing regions of the world, with a long and important history in the world of beer. In 1982, Geoff Mumford and Bruce Wilkinson, both formerly with the Ind Coopes Romford brewery, looked around the scene and saw the great breweries of old being consolidated into … Continue reading
Today’s Advent beer pick brings us to North Carolina to the Olde Hickory Brewery, established in 1994 in the town of Hickory, situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Olde Hickory brews on a 25-barrel system located in a historic landmark building in downtown Hickory that dates to … Continue reading
Today’s Beer Advent Calendar pick comes to us from one of my favorite Oregon breweries, both for the beers and for their incredible location: Pelican Pub & Brewery. Each winter they brew a moderate-strength Cascadian Dark Ale for the holidays: Bad Santa. You better watch out, you better not cry, you … Continue reading
Today, December 6, is St. Nicholas Day, a festival observed in many European countries that celebrates St. Nicholas as a bringer of gifts to children. “Santa Claus” of course is derived from the St. Nicholas legend, and some of the regional celebrations of St. Nicholas Day are strikingly familiar: children place … Continue reading
Today, December 5, is Repeal Day, the day we in the U.S. celebrate the Repeal of Prohibition: on December 5, 1933, Utah became the thirty-sixth and final state needed to ratify the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment which had enacted national Prohibition starting in 1920. It’s a … Continue reading
Ten years of the Beer Advent Calendar continues, and I’m wondering if the holidays are a time for seeing pink elephants? If we’re speaking euphemistically, then perhaps, or perhaps not—but with today’s beer pick you definitely will be: Delirium Noël. This is the Christmas version of Delirium Tremens from Belgium’s … Continue reading
Today we hop the pond to find our next Advent calendar pick, and discover a Scottish brewery established in 2001: Fyne Ales. They brew a dark amber Winter Warmer that they describe as: An antidote to Christmas. No strange spices, just a really good stronger beer with a crisp fruity … Continue reading