The Return of the Beer Advent Calendar

I thought about it. I hemmed and hawed and wondered if it was worth going there again. And in the end I realized that, yes, I did want to go through it again. For all its ups and downs, it was a good time.

 

And so, I present to you –

 

Beer Advent Calendar 2016

 

That’s right, folks, we’re doing it again! Advent Calendar part two: electric boogaloo. Also known as ‘an excuse to enjoy new beers while also getting into the holiday spirit’.

This time around I put a bit more thought into building the list of beers to include. I’m a little IPA-ed out so I focused more on stouts and porters this year – more malt and less hops was the driving factor for this year’s group. As with last year (and my regular beer consumption) I focused mostly on Ontario craft beers, with some special guest stars from countries whose beers I quite enjoy (England, Belgium) and some beers I picked up on some recent travels to New York State.

 

So, without further ado, here is this year’s list.

 

 

Forked River, Riptide Rye Pale Ale

Great Lakes Brewery, Karma Citra IPA

Muskoka Brewery, Mad Tom IPA

Nickel Brook, Wet Hop Pale Ale

Brimstone Brewing, Enlightenment Blonde Ale*

 

 

Royal City, Autumn Ale*

Grand River Brewing, Highballer Pumpkin Ale

 

 

Great Lakes Brewery, Pompous Ass English Pale Ale

Nickel Brook, Equilibrium ESB*

Muskoka Brewery, Winterweiss

Side Launch, Dark Lager

Royal City Brewing, Smoked Honey Lager

 

 

Forked River, Full City Coffee Porter

Collective Arts, Stranger Than Fiction Porter*

Mayan Chocolate Chipotle*

Sawdust City, Skinny Dippin’ Stout*

Maclean’s Ales, Luck & Charm Stout

 

 

Wychwood Brewery, Hobgoblin Ale

Wychwood Brewery, Bah Humbug Christmas Cheer Ale

Brasserie Dupont, Bons Voeux Belgian Tripel Blonde*

 

 

Resurgence Brewing Co, Sponge Candy Stout*

Blue Moon Brewing Company, Harvest Pumpkin Ale

New Belgium, Pumpkick Spiced Seasonal Ale

Southern Tier Brewing Company, Live Citrusy Session Pale Ale

Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn Lager

 

Beer Notes and Stray Thoughts

• The starred beers are ones I’ve never tried before.
• The Mayan Chocolate Chipotle is another international inclusion (from England) but I didn’t realize that until after I’d taken photos, so it gets lumped in with the other stouts and porters.
• Royal City Brewery is one of my favourite craft breweries, and is run by a guy I went to university with. If you see their stuff in the LCBO or find yourself in the Guelph area I highly recommend checking them out.
• I anchored some specific beers on the more special days (Christmas Eve and Day, December 21st, weekend days) and then filled in the gaps, making sure not to have two similar beers on back to back days. The idea is to keep comparison low so I enjoy everything as much as possible.
• Despite putting it together myself I don’t remember which beer is on which day, with a couple of notable exceptions.
• Sadly, while writing this post I had a beer casualty. I was woken up by a loud bang one night to discover that the top of the can holding the Resurgence Sponge Candy Stout has blown clear off, leaving beer oozing over my floor. Sad, just judging by how it smelled as I cleaned it up (BAD) I think I dodged a bullet there.
• So, instead of the Resurgence stout I added Unibroue’s Grande Reserve 17 from Quebec.
• As with last year I’ll be posting what I get each day on Twitter, and invite you to follow along if you’re interested. I’ll also be checking in on Untappd.

 

 

How are you getting into the holiday spirit?