The Brew Site
Hanukkah begins today at sundown, so to commemorate the Festival of Lights for today’s Advent beer we turn to Leikam Brewing, a certified kosher brewery in Portland, Oregon, that brews an annual beer for the holiday—Maccabeer IPA. It’s a 6.3% alcohol by volume west coast IPA brewed special for the … Continue reading
59 years ago today, on December 6, 1964, the classic and quirky television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first aired on TV. In honor of that milestone, today’s Advent beer pick takes us to Maumee Bay Brewing of Ohio to enjoy a pint or two of Blitzen Winter Ale—Blitzen being … Continue reading
There are several notable things about today, December 5! In the United States, it’s Repeal Day, celebrating the ratification of the 21st Amendment repealing Prohibition. In Central Europe, it’s Krampus Night, commemorating the eve of St. Nicholas Day when Krampus visits homes to punish naughty children. And in England, Hook … Continue reading
Today is National Cookie Day, and in the month of December that really means National Christmas Cookie Day! So to celebrate all things (Christmas) cookie, we’re heading to Sycamore Brewing in North Carolina, which brews an annual specialty winter ale perfect for today: Christmas Cookie Ale. The brewery doesn’t skimp … Continue reading
Earlier this fall Avid Cider released the latest addition to its year-round imperial cider lineup, Blueberry Pom Imperial Cider. Like the others in the imperial series, it’s 8.5% alcohol by volume, instead of the 6-to-6.2% of its other ciders. The recipe is an imperialized version of the cidery’s classic Blueberry … Continue reading
High Point Brewing of New Jersey is known for its Ramstein line of German-inspired beer styles, covering a range of beers from hefeweizen to schwarzbier, and includes a seasonal lineup of Oktoberfest and bocks. For the winter months, High Point offers up our Advent beer pick of the day—Ramstein Winter … Continue reading
For today’s Advent selection I’m considering cider, and for a festive option we’re travelling to England to visit Lilley’s Cider, which offers a variety of holiday-themed ciders that you can browse in its online Christmas Shop. In particular, I’ve picked the company’s Santa Cider to feature today, of which Lilley’s … Continue reading
It’s December 1, and that means it’s the first day of the annual tradition for the blog that first ran in 2005—the Beer Advent Calendar! As a virtual Advent calendar, every day through December 24 I’ll feature a different holiday beer from a wide variety of breweries. To start things … Continue reading
My latest article for The Bulletin, published this week, features a profile of Cold Snap, a pastry stout from Bevel Craft Brewing inspired by Mexican hot chocolate. The basic ingredients for hot cocoa consist of cocoa powder, sugar and milk, and it is typically quite sweet. Mexican hot chocolate, on … Continue reading
Earlier this month Double Mountain Brewery released its latest specialty/seasonal beer, Sweet Nothings, billed as a Blonde Coffee Stout. The brewery worked with 10-Speed Coffee Roasters and Ranger Chocolate (a collaborator on Chocolate Stout of the past few years), and sent me a bottle of the new beer to review. … Continue reading