The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 1

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #1

Ayinger - Celebrator Doppelbock

When I think of Christmas this is the beer that comes to mind.  Strong, sweet and beautifully complex.  There are wonderful notes of raisins and cherry with a thick malty body.  As if this beer was not enough of a treat it comes with a small plastic ram on each bottle.  Each year I treat myself to a case of this and enjoy drinking them while I decorate the Christmas tree with all the rams that come with the beer.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 2

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #2

Corsendonk - Christmas Ale (2009)

A dark ale with fruit and spice flowing all over the place.  Pours great and has a wonderful aroma.  This bottle has been aging for more than a year and is a real treat.

A special thanks to Colin from Wooltown for donating this bottle.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 3

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #3

Rodenbach - Flemish Red Brown

Christmas has a lot of sweets associated with it, cookies, rum cake, egg nog and candy.  With all this sweet we need to balance it with some sour!  Aged in oak for more than two years this beer is actually a blend of older Flemish ale and young ale.  The sourness is mild and fruity with a slight acidic finish.  Wonderful to drink. 

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 4

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #4

Port Brewing - Santa's Little Helper

You may be dreaming of a white Christmas this year, but Santa's Little Helper adds a darker side to the holidays.  Rich and velvety with thick roasted notes of toffee and caramel, this Imperial Stout would make jolly old saint Nick... well, jolly.

A special thanks to Colin from Wooltown for donating this bottle.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 5

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #5

Anchor - Christmas Ale 2010

Thirty-six years, that's how long anchor has been brewing Christmas ales.  Each year is different and it is only available from mid November to mid January.
It is a great spiced and fruity beer with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, plum and chocolate.  I can't help but thinking of Fritz Maytag, considered by many to be the father of American craft brewing, as he worked to create his first Christmas beer more than 35 years ago.

A special thanks to Chad for donating this beer.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 6

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #6

Stoudts - Winter Ale

A wonderful amber/red ale with a nice amount of hops.  Two years ago Stoudts released a new winter ale and this being the second year, I have to say, it is growing on me.
It is a wonderfully hoppy beer with a nice malt foreground. Stoudts changes the recipe every few years and it is always a treat to try their new winter ales.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 7

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #7

Tröegs, Mad Elf

A true Christmas beer.  This brew packs a punch at 11% ABV with cherries and honey.  Sweet and warming with a pleasant fruity and spiced aroma.  Pared with one of the best holiday albums ever, James Brown Funky Christmas, you can't go wrong. A few of these and you too can be a funky mad elf; get down with your bad self, Aaaaawwww.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas. 

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 8

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - # 8

Stone, Arrogant Bastard Ale

This bottle epitomizes what so many craft beer drinkers think, "This is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it." And many would not, so the label continues with its bold assertiveness and tells the reader that maybe they should just stick to their, "tasteless yellow fizzy beer."

Arrogant Bastard is a strong beer with bold and complex flavors.  It has a solid malty base with  blasts of hops from all directions; aroma, bittering and flavor.  It sets the bar high by being so conceited a beer, but in the end we all know that it's only arrogant if you can't back it up.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 9

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - # 9

Schoolmaster Brewing, Nierra Sevada

Sierra Nevada is one of my favorite beers, so I decided to brew a clone of it.  My beer, Nierra Sevada is a close match.  It has a very similar malt profile and while the hops taste correct, there need to be more of them.  I'm happy with my first attempt at a clone brew and already have my second attempt fermenting in the secondary.  I submitted this beer to competition and used the BJCP score sheet to modify the recipe.   It is a great beer and very drinkable.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas. 

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 10

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - # 10

Sierra Nevada, Pale Ale

A true American Classic, beautifully brewed and bottle conditioned.  The hops just scream West coast and help to transport you from your cold and snowy home to warmer Northern California.  So show some holiday cheer and hoist a pint to Ken Grossman, brewery founder and craft beer revolutionary, this holiday season.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 11

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #11

Southern Tier - Old Man, Winter Ale, Seasonal

With its nice malty base this beer has winter written all over it, but its followed up by an impressive amount of hops.  The bottle advertises only two types of malt and three types of hops go into this beer.  A great brew to sip on if you want the sweet warmth of malt but still can't part with your addiction love of hops.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - 12

The Twelve Beers to Christmas - #12

Professor Fritz Brien, 1809 Berliner Weisse

This light bodied wheat based sour beer is the perfect choice after setting up the Christmas tree.  Crisp and citrusy with a light sourness, this low hopped, unboiled beer hits the spot.  It is brewed with a traditional sour mash as well as lactobacillous fermentation, giving it a wonderful tart flavor, not over powering, but rather balanced for this small a beer.

In this segment, "The Twelve Beers to Christmas" I will be sharing a beer each day leading up to Christmas.

Not by Beer Alone - Boswell Pipes

Man can not live on beer alone, try as we may.  There are few things that compliment a fine beer better than a good smoke.  A quality briar pipe will give you years of smoking pleasure for what you would spend on two or three cases of craft beer.

I have a collection of more than a dozen pipes from a variety of carvers; Savinelli, Peterson and Nording to name a few.  I've even tried my hand at caring a couple myself with enjoyable results.  But my favorite pipes are made in Chambersburg, Pa by J.M. Boswell & Son.  To say that they are the best pipes in the world would likely be an understatement.  Buying a Boswell pipe is like "coming home".  It's not just that they are locally produced, smoke great and are one of a kind, but Jim Boswell is possibly the nicest person you will ever meet, definitely the nicest person who you'll ever have carve you a pipe.
My first trip to Boswell's was in the spring of 2009.  I was greeted by Jim's son, Dan, and offered a cup of coffee and told to pack a bowl of any of their custom blend tobaccos; I chose their Northwoods blend.  Several trips and four pipes later I have to say I'm hooked.  I doubt that I will ever buy a pipe from anyone else.