Once something has been done a couple of years in a row, that makes it a tradition, right? Well, in that case, Him Outdoors and I worked on our 'traditional' Christmas gift to each other - our advent beer calendar. He buys the evens and I buy the odd ones, as it were, and then we wrap them in festive tissue paper and stick gift cards in the guise of number on them. We share each one and take notes on its merit or otherwise. As follows:
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| In the beginning... |
1. Sail and Anchor IPA (5.5%) – Rich
and malty American IPA – enhancing the strong hop bitterness 4/5
2. Prickly Moses
Bluberry Hefeweizen (4.6%) –Blueberries are front and centre in
this fruit beer with a touch of wheat beer’s trademark banana bubblegum on the
finish 4.5/5
3. Bitburger (4.8%) – Crisp, dry German Pilsner – not my favourite style but a good
example 3.5/5
4. Robe Town Sour Fest (4%) – Love the sour
leathery notes of this one 4.5/5
5. Hook Norton 12 Days
of Christmas (5.5%) – Dark brown spiced English strong ale
with burnt caramel notes and nutty overtones 4.25/5
7. Gavroche (8.5%) – Fruity with toffee caramel malt; very pleasant version of a Biere de
Garde. Like a saison with a strong malt profile 4.25/5
8. Schlenkerla Eiche Dopplebock (8%) – Smokin’! 4.25/5
9. Durham White Stout (7.2%) – A really tasty
strong beer recreated from the days when ‘stout’ meant strong rather than dark
– delicious spicy hop aromas and flavours 4/5
10. Samuel Smith India
Ale (5%) – Earthy nutty hops
work so well in this fantastic English-style IPA with a touch of caramel coming
through the malt – superbly subtle 4.5/5
12. Innis & Gunn
Original (6.6%) – Rich, warm and golden wooded goodness 4.25/5
13. Liberty Brewing Co
Uprising (5.7%) – Decent beer – pretty hoppy for a pale ale – have we just shifted the
hop posts? 3.75/5
14. Temple Rye Hard (6.3%) – A little bit of a
tang but not too much – also slightly grainy as I’ve come to expect from rye,
but still very passable. Yippee Kye Ay Mofos 3.25/5
16. Pikes Sparkling Ale (5.2%) – Malty and orangey
– quite tasty actually 3.25/5
17. Renaissance The
Woodsman Belgian Milk Stout (6.6%) – creamy milk texture with coffee bitterness.
Intense, full flavour. I’m not really getting the Belgian yeast though. 3.75/5
18. Ballast Point
Grapefruit Sculpin (7%) – Delicious grapefruit characteristics; sharp
and zesty with a mellow malt profile to give substance, depth and balance 4.5/5
19. Nøgne Ø/Bridge Road
India Saison (7.5%) – A bit too bitter, which detracts from the
fruity zest of the saison – the yeast doesn’t feel well integrated 2.75/5
20. Birra Del Borgo ReAle (6.4%) – Tasty and
malty with distinct earthy bitter hops 4/5
21. Sierra Nevada Narwhal (10.2%) – Smooth, rich, slight roast bitterness and strong alcohol
warmth 4.5/5
22. Chimay White (8%) – Golden caramel goodness – full mouthfeel with nicely balanced
flavours. Those Belgians certainly know how to make triples! 4.5/5
23. 8 Wired Rendition (7.5%) – Barnyard,
leathery, damp straw funk. Fantastically clean and a little bit tart but not
sour. Barrel-aging brilliance. 4.75/5
24. Brewdog Hoppy
Christmas (7.2%) – American IPA – orangey citrus hop with grassy, grainy taste –
not altogether pleasant 3.25/5
