When it comes to beer in Denmark, most of us are familiar with the big names—Carlsberg, Tuborg, Mikkeller—so naturally for today’s Advent beer I’ve selected one from none of those. Instead, we visit Hancock Bryggerierne in Skive, for its holiday lager, Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas is brewed with Saaz hops (as are all of the Hancock beers), and technically the full name appears to be “Merry Christmas Happy New Year” — at least that’s how it appears on the bottle label. The (translated) site description says:

Merry Christmas is a good alternative to the somewhat stronger Christmas brew.

The taste is lighter, and the interplay between the sweetness of the malt and the bitterness of the hops makes it perfect for the Christmas lunch or a quiet moment in the Christmas race.

Hancock traces its roots to the nineteenth century, and brews a range of lagers as well as a line of non-alcoholic sodas. The company brews several holiday beers, including two other Christmas beers and two Easter beers. Its other Christmas offerings are Julebryg (Christmas Brew), a 10.5% ABV strong lager, and Julehvidtøl No.1 (Christmas White), a low-alcohol brew with only 1.8% ABV. At 6.3% ABV, Merry Christmas falls in the middle and the name is perfect for the season.

Find Hancock Bryggerierne Merry Christmas on:

• Untappd
• BeerAdvocate
• RateBeer
• Facebook

Image credits: Hancock’s Facebook page and website.