Craft Beer Advent Calendar Dec 11-15

How Santa gets through Xmas.

The unwrapping continues with five more mystery beers to reveal.

If you read the last update you would have seen my lowered excitement about the project with some not so great beers coming out of the brown paper bags. 

This is an experiment and strange things are likely to come out.

Are you ready for five more?

I’ve stepped up the presentation and made a Christmas diorama to display the fine brewing products.

Another New Zealand Beer.

December 11

Tuatara ITI Little Big Hop Ale

Another New Zealand beer. Before I even open it I notice a very detailed design on the glass of the neck of the stubby, it is dimpled like the skin of a reptile with a line of bumps to indicate a spine. I’ve never seen detail on glass like this on any other company’s product, I have had a beer from this brewery before and like the nice touch. In addition to that the beer was very nice, a bit weak at 3.3% but it’s made from a combination of tasteful hops which make it worth the try.

This was interesting.

December 12

Royal Jamaican Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Wow, I did not see this coming, our first, actually my first Jamaican kind of anything alcohol related. It’s a beer of sorts so it does count. This is no ordinary ginger beer you may have tried before, this one has a kick in it, to really surprise you when you first taste it. This gets points for being unique and unexpected.

Another fine New York made product.

December 13

Brooklyn Brown Ale

December 1 saw Brooklyn Lager, this is another beer from the same New York brewery. Being a brown ale it was of course darker than the lager and is more suited for colder conditions. That said it was a nice experience and one I will have to come back and drink again – apparently is suited with red meat… Is there a steak cooking that I can smell?

An amazing Australian Beer.

December 14

Pirate Life Brewing IIPA

YES! For a canned beer it’s a tall can (all the cans so far have been tall ones) and it punches you in the face with an alcohol content of 8.8%, stronger than your standard beers but not going crazy like the Imperial Miso Porter from the last post at 11% - even I think that is bordering crazy. The name of the brewery Pirate Life (Australian, based in Adelaide) is creative and unique, the name IIPA is not a typo, it’s a double IPA (Indian Pale Ale) and I think it is one of the best tasting beers I’ve had in the advent calendar so far.

Another good beer.

December 15

Hawkers Saison

Keeping to Australia for two days in a row this is an unknown for me, its labelling is simple and when I think of a Hawker I think of a Hawthorn supporter (an AFL football team which has apparently won some premierships lately? I don’t know since they aren’t the team I follow – Go Bombers!). Hawker of course has another meaning here in Australia. The beer itself was a surprise, I haven’t tried many Saison’s before nor know much about them, I’ve now learned that Saison’s are typically higher in alcohol content these days and have fruity and spicy notes, made after a recipe from Belgium. Before I google searched Saison I was sure at sampling that there was a European feel to this beer.  At 5.6% percent its swinging a bit above the average beer strength.

To be naughty or nice for the holidays?

We have got through the first 15 days. Nine to go before Christmas and a new year of beer drinking to follow (assuming that my liver doesn’t give up before then)

Cheers

Dave