ABV: 6% Of the four local craft breweries U&ME was the only one to release a seasonal beer this year with their Umeå x-mas ale. This winter warmer is dark in colour with a coffee head that was small and disappeared quickly. The aroma is sweet like caramel with some chocolate hinted through it. The… Read more »
Monthly Archives: December 2014
Advent Day 13: Bellerose de Noël
ABV: 7% At 750ml Bellerose de Noël Belgian blonde is by far the largest beer in my calendar this year. Ruby in colour the head is white and lasted short while. The nose is heavy on ginger and other Christmas spices and the flavour is of a fruity sweetness backed by a smooth malt finish…. Read more »
Advent Day 12: Merry Christmas Happy New Year 2014
ABV: 5.5% Anchor Brewing Merry Christmas Happy New Year 2014 winter warmer is a well carbonated beer with has a large cream-coloured head that builds quickly and goes away nearly as fast. Very dark in colour (but not quite black) I could smell citrusy hops as soon as I opened the bottle, but upon closer… Read more »
Advent Day 11: Jule Stout
ABV: 7.6% Probably the coolest thing about Midtfyns Bryghus Jule Stout is that the label actually has braille on it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that on a label before. Basically black in colour this beer’s head started as a deep coffee colour before fading to a creamy white colour. It was very thick… Read more »
Beer Store / LCBO Sweetheart Deal
Today I’d like to bring some attention to a report the Toronto star brought out recently about the Beer Store (Brewers Retail Inc – BRI) and the LCBO. Basically what the report comes down to is that the Ontario goverment at the time (under premier Mike Harris) forced the LCBO to sign a deal that… Read more »
Advent Day 10: Weihnachts-Beir (Christmas Beer)
ABV: 6.5% Weihnachts-Beir is German and the brand is Störtebeker Brauspezialitäten. The bottle lists it as a Roasted Malt Aromatic beer but beyond that I can’t actually find a style. It is a dark beer with an offwhite head that doesn’t last, though it isn’t quite as dark as the picture suggests. Despite the description… Read more »
Advent Day 9: Old Winter Ale
ABV: 5.3% Fullers Old Winter Ale is described on the bottle as a warming winter ale and it can function as that, but would definitely not be my first choice. The usual off-white head, though there isn’t much of it and it disappeared quickly, this beer has a solid brown colouring to it and certainly… Read more »
Advent Day 8: Hibernation Ale
ABV: 8.7% Hibernation Ale by Great Divide is described on the front of the bottle as an “English-Style Old Ale” and also as malty and robust. The head was the usual off-white and disappeared quickly and the colour is a deep rich red-amber colour. The nose gives off a strong and pleasant chocolatey smell and… Read more »
Advent Day 7: Smooth Hoperator (Homebrew!)
ABV: 6.6% This beer is one that myself and my father-in-law made. It was a recipe I got online because we wanted to try making an IPA. It is an American style IPA that isn’t too hoppy with only 65 IBUs. It has very good carbonation with a large head, a nice pale cloudy colour… Read more »
Advent Day 6: Underbar Jul (Wonderful Christmas)
4.2% The second Swedish brewery in this advent calendar, Electric Nurse’s winter porter fits the usual description of dark body and light head. The aroma is lightly smoky, which leads into a smoky flavour that doesn’t overwhelm. Balanced by a mildly bitter malt base this beer is made to sip slowly in front of a… Read more »
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