Christmas beers

Christmas time is a cheerful time of year. The stockings are hung, the tree didn't fall over (my brothers did!), and we gave presents to their recipients.

One of my favorite things to give is good beer. To my co-workers, I was able to give a Lump of Coal stout, Achilles Christmas Angel, St Bernardus Christmas ale and Fantome Noel. My coworker gave me a bottle of a Belgian Christmas ale (when I look at the bottle closer, I will edit).

For christmas eve, I opened a can of Brewers Art Resurrection- sure, it's a better Easter beer, but it is so good I couldn't resist picking up a six pack.

Bottles and cans of beer are just a few good beer presents. I have in the past got my brother a custom six pack holder- which made his homebrew friends instantly jealous. If you know someone interested, a homebrew starter kit is also an option. For under 100 bucks, you can give them a lifetime hobby. This year, I gave my brother a Hop Randall- which is basically a converted water filter, that instantly dry hops a beer, right before it gets to the cup, a pleasent surprise for any hophead.

Brewery t-shirts and other brewvana are good gifts as well. I love my t-shirts, pint glasses, growlers and posters. Serching yard sales during the summer can also be fruitful.  I have seen old growlers, old wooden beer cases, or other Beervana that is waiting for a good new home. If you know and need some gifts for homebrewers, you could have found a cooler and convert it to a mash tun for not too much more.  There are a million little things out there that any beer geek or homebrewer would love.

The Session #58- A Christmas Carol

This month's episode of The Session is hosted by BeerSay:

The idea for me was based loosely around the visits of three ghosts to Ebenezer Scrooge, but relayed in a post about the beers of Christmas past, present and future.


What did you drink during Christmas holidays of old, have you plans for anything exciting this year and is there something you’d really like to do one day, perhaps when the kids have flown the nest?

Our family doesn't do much for drinks during Christmas proper, but I taken to grabbing a bottle for Christmas Eve.  The first that I celebrated with my then girlfriend, I brought along a bottle of the newly bottled Brewer's Art Ozzy.  My favorite of theirs, although Resurrection is delicious.
 
This year, I plan on taking and opening a couple bottles of homebrew (maple porter and Belgian pale ale) as well as something a bit special- maybe one of the BrewDog Abstrakt beers. 
 
In the future, my goal is to get my father in law to try one of the more exotic beers- sure he likes Yuengling and Boston Lager, but I know I can pull him into pale ales and some of the other lagers.

To Celebrate with Westy

 

It is weird to think that people have allowed me to grow up.  The past 5+ years have allowed me to finally feel like an adult.  Getting married, buying a house, brewing my own beer- all these things have been a great adventure.  On November 7^th, I was able to experience another adventure- the birth of my daughter Ava.  

With birth comes celebration.  When my brother came in from Chicago, we were able to celebrate in style. For the birth of his first child we shared Sam Adams Utopias.  For mine- Westvleteren 12.  Super beer.  Sometimes I wonder why I drink any other style.  Love it.  Some day I will get across that big pond and bring back a case or two.

As for the blog since early November, I am sorry, it has been a bit hectic.  Eventually, I will get back on course.