2ND ANNUAL HOLIDAY DRINKING ADVENT-URE CALENDAR

It’s that time of the year again folks! Well yes, we are approaching Christmas, but more important, its time for our 2nd Annual Holiday Drinking Advent-ure Calendar. We had a lot of awesome feedback last year on this little project we came up with. So much so, that we had requests from friends to be a part of it this year. As soon as we finished the 25 beers, we already had ideas on how to make this year’s better.

This year we have four couples (including us) partaking in the event. We quickly learned last year,  there are so many more Christmas and winter beers out there then we realized. Last year, we wanted to make sure we had a huge variety so we purchased all of ours in a beer store in Ithaca when we were visiting Beard’s brother. While we did bring some beers we couldn’t purchase locally, they were mostly terrible. They were old and syrupy and definitely not as good as the Ohio-bought ones. This year, everyone purchased beers locally. No one had any problems avoiding repeats from last year. We do

How it Works (Refresher)

• Each couple provides 4 sets of 6 different Christmas or winter themed beers (4×6=24 beers to give out).
• Each couple will split 1 beer per day for 24 days.
• We had a little party to distribute the beers and go over the process. We then numbered the beers and put them in a fancy, decorated box which serves as the calendar.
• This year, we also gave everyone adorable, vintage Santa glasses to enjoy their beer out of.
• After everyone drinks the beer we will discuss our thoughts and feelings on the beer via text, call or FaceTime.
• Beard & Broad will post every day about the beer, its history and our thoughts.

Meet the Team

Beard & Broad
Well, hopefully you know us by now. Broad likes her Christmas beer to go with a lazy night on the warm couch with cat (and dog) cuddles; a little spicy, a little malty and lots of flavor. Beard enjoys his beers low on the spice and wants them to taste like…beer.  Not a spice cabinet.  There’s nothing better than a big porter or stout (or Belgian) on a cold winter’s night.

Adam & Alex
Alex likes her nutcrackers glittery, Adam likes his decorations traditional and they both like their Christmas beers to be warm and comforting like the season itself.

Scott & Christa
Scott likes his Christmas beers dark but his holiday spirits bright. Christa (CT ’round here) isn’t quite sure yet but is excited to be nominated.

Louie & Jenny
For almost 10 years, Jen and Lou have enjoyed the holiday season assisted by the high octane deliciousness of dark, spiced, and malty seasonal beers. The duo looks forward to their first Holiday Advent-ure calendar and will be filled with the joy and anticipation of a young child on Christmas morning when they crack open a new brew each evening. Salute!

Day 1: Fat Head’s Brewery Holly Jolly Christmas Ale
This is a repeat from last year but it is definitely a classic, must-have, Christmas beer staple. This is one of the top Ohio Christmas ales from one of the top Ohio Breweries. Fat Head’s is a favorite among Beard & Broad and actually, the rest of the gang. “Sweet malt, ginger, honey and cinnamon spice” are the key notes to look for in this beer. We will just get straight to our comments.

REFLECTIONS

Beard & Broad
Beard: Nice aroma of ginger bread up front.  At first sip it has a surprising yet pleasant hop bitterness that balances out with the spices the more you drink.  As far as a spiced beer on the hoppier side, this is perfect.

Broad: Oh boy, I’m starting to get sick today with a cold. So my senses are all out of whack. But even though I can’t taste very much, I still get a lot of delicious Christmas flavor. A little bit of spice, a little bit of malt, some hoppiness and the right amount of flavor. Amazing as always. But I am very bummed I can get the full Christmas deliciousness from this right now.

Adam & Alex
Adam: We love this beer. The spices aren’t too overwhelming like their Christmas beers and the honey makes it have a slight syrupy-sweetness. Like many holiday beers the 7+ percent leads to a boozy warmness. Fatheads stands out as one of the best brewers in northeast Ohio. And that’s saying something.

Alex: Yay! First beer, first beer! I heart this beer. It’s one of my favorite Christmas/Holiday beers. It has a delicious cinnamon-ginger spiced kick to it, and is the right amount of sweet for me.
Fun fact: Our favorite little ginger, Remy, who is a beer expert, tried to get a taste, so it’s also pup approved.

Scott & CT
Scott: Easier to drink than Great Lakes Christmas Ale, just as delicious and my go to specialty Christmas beer not named “12 Dogs of Christmas”.

CT: This was my toe-dip into Cleveland’s wonderful and varying brewery scene. I’m from Cincinnati and while her breweries are nothing to scoff at, Cleveland wins. Fat Heads is the brewery I can’t say enough about and Holly Jolly is my personal favorite. It’s warm and sweet without being cavity -inducing. The crisp kick of cinnamon is just enough to justify its Holiday release but, man, I’d drink this all year.

Louie & Jenny
Louie: Before sipping the inaugural first beer of our holiday adventure calendar experience, I read the beers description out loud to set the mood. It inspired the picture of us in front of our fake fire place. This beer packs a decadent spicy punch of ginger and honey. It is nicely balanced without being too heavy. It compares very well versus other local holiday brews. Feeling very Holly and Jolly this evening!

Jenny: Smooth notes of a honey cinnamon spice with floral herbs and lingering malt ale finish. A lovely introduction to the Holly Jolly taste of Christmas.