Santa’s Pint Glass – Day 23

We head to merry Old England for a Scandinavian styled holiday ale from Thornbridge Brewing

“A dark mild with Low Colour Maris Otter, Crystal, wheat and chocolate malt, hopped with Goldings. A brand new beer to provide comfort in deepest darkest December

Knäck is a 4% dark mild, with a rich malty soul giving notes of hard toffee and roasted nuts, much like the Swedish Christmas treat of the same name.”

Santa’s Pint Glass – Day 21

I am accustomed to the big Belgian bottle of St. Bernardus Christmas Ale so it took some getting used to it being in a twelve ounce can.

Here is how the brewery describes this Quad, “St.Bernardus Christmas Ale is an intensely dark beer with a full, yet slightly fruity flavour, overflowing with the tastes of winter and zesty seasonal aromas. Aniseed notes are complemented by hints of creamy caramel and fire-roasted chestnuts. This zestiness shows no signes of abating, pushing through to a magnificent finish of dried fruits and chocolate.”

Will the can compare to that? And will my comparison bottle taste similar, let’s get to the results…

A little toffee, a little fruit. Bang on fruitcake with this. There is a nice bite to it as well. It is too light for chocolate and roasted nuts aren’t there for me but has a zest and a malt backbone to it that means it could easily pair with practically any food course from salad to turkey to dessert. Just lovely.

Santa’s Pint Glass – Day 17

Next up is a dickens of a beer from Silver City Brewing.

Old Scrooge Christmas Ale is the brewery’s most award-winning beer. Through the years it has been awarded 13 medals that includes 6 from the Great American Beer Festival and one award from the World Beer Cup.

This take on an English-Style Barleywine is a malty ale that derives from a long boil time, cool fermentation and extended aging. Silver City uses a malt bill of NW Pale, British Pale, Caramel, and Munich with Columbus and Willamette hops.”

Santa’s Pint Glass – Day 10

Who here hasn’t been on this list at some point this year? But maybe it isn’t such a bad place to be if there is a Victory barrel-aged beer available for you. I think 11% abv will leas to more naughty, not less.

“Rum Barrel Aged Winter Warmer small batch ale gives off alllll the vibes; a luscious medium bodied copper ale, with warming notes of vanilla, rum, brown sugar and cinnamon that will seduce your taste buds. “

Santa’s Pint Glass – Day 3

Staying in the land of holiday hops for another day so that we can celebrate another year of what is probably the second most iconic seasonal ale. Celebration Fresh Hop IPA from Sierra Nevada.

Described thusly, “Once we pick fresh hops, the clock starts ticking. Each year, we visit the Pacific Northwest to hand-select the best Cascade and Centennial hops, race the harvest home, and brew immediately to capture citrus, pine, and floral notes at their absolute peak — aromas and flavors for the perfect winter beer. It’s a magical time at the brewery — has been for 40 years now! — when our brewers huddle around the fermentation tanks, toasting the start of a special season. Wrapped in red, consider Celebration IPA your first present of the holidays.”

Santa’s Pint Glass – Day 1

Let’s fill Santa’s shaker pint with a SoCal beer to start the holiday season strong, with Christmas Bock from Enegren Brewing

Here is the description of their first ever holiday beer: “This medium bodied amber bock bier has rich caramelly flavors paired with mild, Christmassy spice characteristics from the German Hallertau and Herkules hops. A perfect combination with its higher ABV to celebrate Christmas all month long! Frohe Weihnachten!”