The Brew Site
Maritime Pacific Brewing Company opened in 1990 in Seattle, Washington’s Ballard district, adopting a seafaring theme as a salute to Seattle’s maritime history. In 1997 they opened the Jolly Roger Taproom named, as they say, “in honor of our most popular holiday brew”: Jolly Roger Christmas Ale. Appropriately the taproom … Continue reading
Today is the start of the eight-day Hanukkah celebration and to commemorate the holiday I selected a beer from Shmaltz Brewing, known for their He’Brew line of beers: Hanukkah, Chanukah: Pass The Beer. It’s a dark American strong ale, brewed with eight malts and eight hops to (you guessed it) 8% abv. … Continue reading
Today’s beer Advent pick comes from Detroit and the Atwater Brewery. Atwater got its start in 1997 and each year brews a Winter Bock seasonal; this year however they also released their Lebkuchen Christmas Ale (with a label design reminiscent of an ugly Christmas sweater). Lebkuchen is brewed to 6.5% … Continue reading
I can’t help but get Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” (as sung by Bing Crosby) stuck in my head every time I see today’s Advent beer: Samuel Adams White Christmas. Song aside (though it is a great one), the beer itself is, as the name suggests, a Belgian-styled Witbier, though instead of … Continue reading
Today’s pick comes from Sebago Brewing in Maine, which was established in 1998 as a brewpub and has since expanded into four brewpubs and a production brewery. They boast a lineup of about 12 regular and seasonal beers, plus a variety of single batch and specialties. Maine is known for … Continue reading
Today, the 12th, marks the halfway point for the Beer Advent Calendar, and I’ve chosen one of my favorite Christmas beers for today’s Advent pick—one that has been featured every single year I’ve been doing this calendar: Anchor Christmas Ale. It was first brewed in 1975, and this year is … Continue reading
Today’s Advent beer pick is one you can get at two opposite ends of the country: Fat Head’s Holly Jolly Christmas Ale. Fat Head’s Brewery originated in Cleveland, Ohio, has an additional location in Pittsburgh, and just recently opened up their newest location in Portland, Oregon—quite a leap! I was in … Continue reading
In French-speaking regions of the world, Père Noël is the Christmas gift-bringer analogous to Santa Claus or Father Christmas (which is in fact the literal translation of “Père Noël”). So it’s a fun play to find a Christmas beer named the same, which is what Belgium’s Brouwerij De Ranke brews … Continue reading
Burton-upon-Trent in England is one of the great brewing regions of the world, with a long and important history in the world of beer. In 1982, Geoff Mumford and Bruce Wilkinson, both formerly with the Ind Coopes Romford brewery, looked around the scene and saw the great breweries of old being consolidated into … Continue reading
Today’s Advent beer pick brings us to North Carolina to the Olde Hickory Brewery, established in 1994 in the town of Hickory, situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Olde Hickory brews on a 25-barrel system located in a historic landmark building in downtown Hickory that dates to … Continue reading