A few years ago, a friend approached me with an idea: “Would you be interested in a beer advent?” I didn’t know exactly what he meant, but “beer” was in there, so… tell me more.
It’s a pretty simple concept. A traditional advent calendar is this thing with 24 little doors with a chocolate hidden behind each one. Kids open up one door per day, December 1–24. Beer advent is the adult version: a case of 24 beers and you drink one per day.
I did his group for a few years and 2018 is my second year running my own. (The concept is popular enough that I had people asking how they could get in, but there are serious logistical problems with groups bigger than 48 people. Especially if you want to include some homebrew.)
I try to get a mix of styles and things from local breweries only available at their tap room. It’s always a lot of fun to try so many new beers in a short period of time. Here is this year’s line-up:
December 1: Dr. Bunsen, Yellow Springs Brewery, New England IPA
December 2: 30A Beach Blonde, Grayton Beer Co., blonde ale
December 3: Wittekerke, De Brabandere, wit
December 4: Trotwood, Warped Wing, American lager
December 5: Ottermelon, Central State Brewing, gose
December 6: Eos, Land-Grant Brewing, American pale ale
December 7: Motion Lao-tion, Hoof Hearted Brewing, imperial coffee stout
December 8: Qualified, Taxman Brewing, Belgian quad
December 9: Three Hos, Saucy Brew Works, winter/holiday ale
December 10: Pineapple Cider, Wyndridge Farm, cider
December 11: Pecan Brown, Sibling Revelry Brewing, brown ale
December 12: L’Abondance, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, saison
December 13: Claymore, Great Divide, wee heavy
December 14: Barrel-Aged Panic Switch, Platform Beer Co./Wolf’s Ridge collaboration, rye barleywine
December 15: Key Lime Pie, Tallgrass Brewing, sour blonde ale
December 16: Sonic Boom V2, BrewDog, American IPA
December 17: Pilsner, Veltins, German pilsner
December 18: Santa’s Bribe, Taft’s Ale House, winter/holiday
December 19: Pay It Forward, West Sixth Brewing, cocoa porter
December 20: Heavy Hearted Amber, Zaftig Brewing, amber
December 21: Barrel-Aged Imperial Mayan Mocha, Odd Side Ales, Mexican chocolate stout
December 22: Homebrew oak-aged barleywine
December 23: Backwoods Bastard (2017), Founders Brewing, wee heavy
December 24: Barrel-Aged Adoration, Brewery Ommegang, dark winter ale