Here’s the first of several posts reviewing the 12 Beers of Christmas mix-pack beers from Clown Shoes Beer; the brewery had sent me the entire 12-pack to review, and it took me several weeks to get through the entire pack (there were other beers to drink as well!). Some thoughts before I get into the reviews.

I’ve said before I’m a sucker for the holiday themed beers, so I do think this “12 Beers of Christmas” theme is a great idea on Clown Shoes’ part. It contains a mix of actual holiday/Christmas-themed beers and “regular” beers—or at least I assume they are regular beers that are also generally available, and while I appreciate a mix in styles, I’d personally theme them all as Christmas beers, at least in name.

Regardless of marketing, there are a nice range of beers in the box overall, and it was fun to decide which Christmas beer I was going to drink next. The order I have them in these reviews is the order in which I drank them; there’ll be three posts with four beer reviews each. Let’s go!

Reindeer Games Bavarian IPA

This is the one I did end up featuring on the Beer Advent Calendar, so naturally it was the first one I drank. It’s 7% ABV and brewed in the style of a German IPA—that is, primarily German malts and hops, and Clown Shoes took it in a bit of an amber direction. Here’s the description:

Ever felt left out? Mistreated? Alone? Well, screw that! Anyone who wants to can hang out with us (as long as you don’t mind the occasional snowball to the face).

Reindeer Games is crafted with German and American hops and malts, including Bavarian Red X. Winter, here we come baby!

Appearance: It’s brown with a golden highlight of color at the edges when held to the light. Good light tan head.

Smell: Noble hops with a subtle spice bring the “Bavarian” into “Bavarian IPA,” along with a clean, rye cracker malt. The hop “spice” goes toward hints of cedar, tobacco, maybe white pepper.

Taste: Flavor is where I get some citrusy hop character, with some black tea bitterness and a toasty-bready malt. It’s herbal with a light kiss of zested grapefruit peel, a touch of woodiness, and a residual sweetness; it could almost be a dunkel lager with an IPA hopping rate.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a toasty note and some residual bitterness into the finish. Dry with an aftertaste almost like over-toasted breadcrumbs.

Overall: “Bavarian” IPA? I’d buy that nomenclature, it meets expectations with good hops character.

Burnt Caramel American Brown Ale

I was happy to see a brown ale included in the pack, as (in my opinion) there simply aren’t enough good brown ales brewed these days. Of course, the brewery mixed it up a bit with the “burnt caramel” theme for the holidays, adding dark candi syrup to the base recipe. The beer is 7% ABV and the description says:

Hello, my name is Caramel God. Pray to whoever you will or worship me as I hover over an endless ocean of ice cream cones. Either way, may you find enlightenment.

This Brown Ale was brewed with 1200 pounds of Dark Candi syrup.

Appearance: Dark brown color, some clarity with red-amber hues when held to the light. Good tan head.

Smell: Deep caramel notes but on the subtle side; the candi sugar gives that character with a bit of toffee, and that slightly burnt character is the defining one (hence the name of the beer) with some hints of toasted malts.

Taste: It’s got the promised flavor, with some hard Maillard products and a slightly burnt caramel-sugar taste. A touch of molasses and some dark fruit deep in the malt, along with a hint of almond or Amaretto liqueur. There’s a residual sweetness with that slight burnt note, which gives it a (faux?) dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, with some of that residual sweetness I noted and that burnt caramel finish.

Overall: As advertised! It’s good if a little unusual for the big focus on Maillard goodness.

Baked Goods American Pale Ale

What’s Christmas time without baked goods? Although as a hoppy pale ale, “baked” here could mean in the intoxicated sense as well, of course (especially in light whomever wrote the description). At 5.5% ABV it’s a nicely drinkable American pale. The description:

Sometimes you take your pet tardigrade, Chester, for a hoverboard-assisted walk through the jungles of planet Narxiol. Sometimes, Chester takes you for a walk. However it happens, you deserve a refreshing treat when you get back home, and these goods were baked just for such an occasion.

This American Pale Ale bursts with tropical citrus flavor, minimal hop bitterness, and a smooth malt body, making it a good companion for any baking experience.

Appearance: Golden orange-yellow, translucent haze. Floofy white head.

Smell: Citrusy with “yellow” fruits, including grapefruit, tangelo, some lemon, passion fruit. A hint of pineapple. Lemongrass, pomelo zest.

Taste: Bitter(ish) citrus pith and peel, with a dank note of greens. Earthy flavors as well, forest floor-ish with wood dry rot and morel mushrooms. Citrus pit and oil at the back; it tends to build up in bitterness as you sip. Light, pale malts have a light touch of cracker.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body, with a lightly menthol “cooling” character going into the finish.

Overall: Nicely hoppy with good citrus notes. Quite easily drinkable.

Lucha Cereveza Mexican-style Lager

Lucha is one of those “regular” beers I mentioned, by my estimation, as it’s a 5.8% ABV fairly standard lager. Nothing wrong with that at all, of course, but it’s curious since the branding on this can is different from all the rest, and it doesn’t feel “Christmasy” at all. The description says:

After decades roaming the countryside in the lucha libre circuit, the elusive Tecoh has finally hung up his mask and put on his brewing boots. Enjoy Tecoh’s first brew, Lucha now, and be on the lookout for his next endeavor in 2023!

Tecoh’s was inspired by the Cerveza that this legend tasted from across Latin America, brewed using the most premium ingredients to create a bright, slightly sweet, and refreshing lager to be enjoyed post-fight or post-anything.

Appearance: Golden color, unfiltered. Good white head of whipped foam.

Smell: Grainy with a touch of sweet corn and grassy hops. It’s nicely mellow, crisp. Kind of a classic slightly sweet lager profile.

Taste: Tasty with sweet grain notes that has some breadiness and it seems like a cross between a helles and a Vienna (or possibly even a Märzen) in style, though with a moderate hop level. Corn? Maybe? Hop flavor is hay, herbal.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, lively carbonation, with a slight residual sweetness.

Overall: It’s tasty and crushable.