Today’s Advent calendar pick comes from Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland, Oregon, known for their organic beers and their commitment to environmentally-sound, green practices. Each year they release Abominable Winter Ale, a hoppy imperial red, and the last several years they have taken to aging Abominable in bourbon barrels to produce Kentucky Christmas.

Kentucky Christmas began its life as Abominable Winter Ale before being gently whisked away to a cavern deep inside the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here, outside the reach of modern communications it was laid to rest in freshly emptied whiskey barrels where notes of vanilla and spice mixed with citrus and caramel. One sip and your heart will be warmed with our southern hospitality.

The beer spends 10 to 13 months in the barrels before being blended to balance and highlight nuances from the individual barrels. It’s an Abominably bourbon-y and warming take on an already delicious winter ale.

Find Hopworks Kentucky Christmas on:

• Untappd
• BeerAdvocate
• RateBeer
• Facebook