Advent Beer Calendar 2015: Day 2: Bocq Gauloise Christmas

Advent Beer Calendar 2015: Day 2: Bocq Gauloise Christmas

For the first day of December I selected a U.S.-brewed Belgian-styled ale for the Advent calendar pick, so today I thought I would select an ale brewed in Belgium proper to commemorate this second of December. Brasserie du Bocq was established in 1858 by Martin Belot and over six generations … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2015: Day 1: pFriem Belgian Christmas Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2015: Day 1: pFriem Belgian Christmas Ale

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 … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 23: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 23: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

Today is the penultimate day for the Beer Advent Calendar, and it does double duty as well—it’s my birthday! As is my habit each year for my birthday I choose an Advent beer that’s more for “me” than strictly for the holidays, a special beer to enjoy that I think everyone … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 22: Red Hill Christmas Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 22: Red Hill Christmas Ale

Today’s Advent beer pick takes us down under to Australia, where they just celebrated their Summer Solstice and are enjoying warm weather. Red Hill Brewery is “a unique, independent microbrewery located amidst it’s own hop garden on the top of Red Hill on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.” If you visit you … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 21: Solstice Winter Schnocker

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 21: Solstice Winter Schnocker

Today is the Winter Solstice, the day in the Northern Hemisphere that is the shortest day and longest night of the year. (As a bonus to the astronomical significance of the day, it’s also the new moon.) To observe and commemorate the day I thought I’d select a beer from … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 20: Avery Old Jubilation Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 20: Avery Old Jubilation Ale

For today I picked a classic holiday ale from Colorado’s Avery Brewing, one sure to help capture the spirit of the season: Old Jubilation Ale. Avery calls this an English Old Ale, but to my mind at 8.3% alcohol this is really approaching a Barleywine—a lovely sipping beer to enjoy … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 19: Engel Weihnachtsbier

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 19: Engel Weihnachtsbier

Today’s beer pick comes from the Engel Brewery (Biermanufaktur Engel) in Germany and is named for the German word for Christmas, Weihnachten: Engel Weihnachtsbier. Interestingly enough, I cannot find much information about this beer online (on the ratings sites, for instance), but this is a 5.5% winter lager (“festival beer”) their … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 18: Thiriez Bière De Noël

Advent Beer Calendar 2014: Day 18: Thiriez Bière De Noël

Today’s Advent pick comes from France, from Brasserie Thiriez located in the town of Esquelbecq, north near the Belgian border. Thiriez was founded in 1996 and is “situated on the grounds that formerly housed the Poitevin farm brewery, which was active and served the local area until 1945” (according to … Continue reading