Today is the first of December and that means it’s time to break out your Advent calendars and start counting down the days until Christmas! And here at The Brew Site it means that it’s time for the annual Beer Advent Calendar countdown—each day I will reveal a new Christmas-y or winter-y beer as we count down to the holiday. Last year I noted that it was the tenth edition of the calendar, and this year formally marks the tenth anniversary since I started this feature way back in 2005!

(In case you’re wondering about my math, this year is technically the 11th edition of the Beer Advent Calendar, with 2005 inclusive—but you don’t count the first year as the “first anniversary”…)

I’m kicking off this year with Oregon’s pFriem Family Brewers, established in Hood River in 2012 with a strong focus on Belgian-influenced beers with a nod to the Pacific Northwest beer culture. That first year, and each year since, they have brewed up their Belgian Christmas Ale to celebrate the holiday:

In Belgium, Old St. Nick delivers a bundle of sticks to those who have behaved badly throughout the year. Just to be safe, we suggest foregoing cookies and leaving Santa a pFriem Belgian Christmas Ale. Brewed with coriander in a rich, Dubbel base, its toffee aromas and hints of fresh, ripe orange will leave a milk-chocolaty velvet coat on Santa’s tongue and guarantee that you won’t be getting sticks this year.

It’s a rich 8% ale that is a great beer with which to kick off your holiday season!

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