Today’s beer is a strong Winter Warmer from Birra del Borgo in the heart of Italy: 25 Dodici. There have been some amazingly interesting beers coming from Italian brewers in recent years, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to feature one of their holiday offerings.

This Christmas beer is brewed with six malts and four hops, and is spiced with bitter orange peel. It weighs in at 9.5% alcohol by volume. I picked up this description from B. United:

Dark amber with a beige-colored foam. The nose is dominated by fruity notes such as berries, plums and orange as well as spicy notes such as pepper and coriander. Chestnut honey and definite hints of chocolate enrich the aroma. On the palate, 25 Dodici is rich and full bodied. The fruity notes are well balanced with the maltiness.

“25 Dodici” literally means “25 12”, clever shorthand for “December 25” (naturally!). From researching online I believe this beer was brewed in 2008 only and is somewhat rare—although bottles are still popping up on occasion, so it’s out there.

BeerAdvocate: B+. RateBeer: 3.34/5, 66th percentile.