When I hear "Gift of the Magi," I think of the O. Henry story rather than the Three Kings that inspired this Lost Abbey beer. However, this beer sounds awesome (in true Lost Abbey fashion): It seems that everyone knows the story of the Three Kings. Sent to follow the … Continue reading

In honor of the snow that’s (lightly) falling here in Central Oregon today, I’ve picked Pyramid Snow Cap for today’s beer. This is a Northwest classic, first brewed in 1986, a Winter Warmer in the English tradition. Expect a spicy, hoppy, fruity-ish 7% alcohol warming brew. And I can’t think … Continue reading

Each year on the Advent Calendar so far I’ve selected Samichlaus, and this year’s selection has a bit of a twist: Samichlaus Helles ("Samichlaus Light") from Schloss Eggenberg. I was clued in to this from this post on Joe Sixpack’s blog, wherein he writes: …this “lighter” version of the classic … Continue reading

I wanted to include at least one German beer on the list this year, so today I’m going with the elusive Weihnacts Engel, from Crailsheimer Engel-Bräu. I say "elusive" because although this appears to be their flagship beer, it’s not listed on BeerAdvocate and RateBeer only has 19 reviews online. … Continue reading

Today’s pick is Bocq Christmas, from Belgium’s Brasserie du Bocq. It’s a strong, spicy Belgian Dubbel (or Strong Ale, depending on which review site specs you follow) at 8.1% alcohol. Details from their site are a little skimpy, but here’s what they say: Appearance : dark colour, clear, fine and … Continue reading

Today’s pick is St. Nikolaus Bock, from Pennsylvania Brewing in Philadelphia. Penn Brewing specializes in German style beers, and their Christmas brew is a rich 6% alcohol Bock: A very rich, dark bock beer. Dark ruby in color with subtle tones of chocolate and burnt malt. It will warm you … Continue reading

At some point I wanted to pick an Australian beer for the Advent Calendar, as I hadn’t yet featured one this year or the previous two. So today’s pick comes from the Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe, located in Sydney: Redoak Christmas Cheer. Redoak has an impressive repertoire of over 40 … Continue reading

Today we head down to New Orleans to Abita Brewing Company for their seasonal offering, Abita Christmas Ale. Appropriately for a Christmas beer, each year is a bit different: As befits any Christmas present, each years offering is a unique product crafted with special care. Generally, this beer is a … Continue reading

I decided to go with an old classic for today’s beer pick: Jenlain Bière de Noël, from Brasserie Duyck in Northern France. This 6.8% alcohol Bière de Garde is brewed stronger than their "house" beer, in true yule tradition: The tradition of Christmas beers is particular to northern Europe. In … Continue reading

Today’s pick is St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, which is available for the first time this year. (It’s new enough that they don’t yet have it on their own website!) It’s a Belgian Strong Ale with a whopping 10% alcohol by volume. The reviews are positive and sound to me like … Continue reading