To prepare for the end of 2014 and in anticipation of the upcoming holiday season, I’ve decided to take part in an idea from Andy Higgs of Grown-up Travel Guide and complete a Beer Advent Calendar of sorts. Beginning with the fourth Sunday before Christmas (November 30) all the way through Christmas, I will try to drink a different beer each day and share it here.
Day 8: Sunday, December 7, 2014 – Gouden Carolus Christmas 2014
Started off the second week of the season with a visit to my first winter beer festival, located in nearby Haaren, the Netherlands. Fifteen breweries were present, with more than 50 beers available to taste. I had hoped to taste them all…ok, maybe not, but I did manage to try a good selection from a number of the breweries, including at least one from each brewery I had never tried a beer from before. As this was a winter beer festival, my focus was on the winter and Christmas beers available.
In the end, the choice for my favorite beer of the day was relative simple. When I tried the Gouden Carolus Christmas 2014, I fell in love as soon as the first hit of black licorice hit my tongue. This was a flavorful beer, which was smooth and easy to drink. I will be on the lookout for a few more bottles to keep at home. I may make a run down to Het Anker to pick one up in person even!
Day 9: Monday, December 8, 2014 – La Chinette Blonde
On our recent visit to Rochefort, we stopped at La Gourmandise for a “small lunch. Upon walking inside the cafe, I found that not only did they have some of the local meats and cheeses we were sampling available there, but they also had some other local beers from the region that I had never seen, let alone tried before. I had to pick up a few.
The first of these I am trying is the La Chinette Blonde from Brasserie de la Lesse in Eprave, Belgium. This blonde has a nice hoppy bitterness and is very dry. I drank it at room temperature, so the flavors were very pronounced. I rather enjoyed it.
Day 10: Tuesday, December 9, 2014 – WindSwept Brewing Tornado Citra IPA
We visited Edinburgh in November, and I was determined not to leave without a few Scottish beers in my suitcase. I wasn’t sure what to look for, and asked at a few shops and this one came recommended to me in one of the tourist Scotch Whisky shops. I bought it taste unknown, and was holding out hope it would be good. And it is! Nice bitterness, with a bit of the citra from the hops, especially in the aftertaste. A very drinkable IPA for my taste.
Day 11: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 – Heidelberger Original Halles Lager
A pickup from our recent visit to Heidelberg where we caught the Christmas Market. Figured I had to try the basic brew from the Heidelberger brewery. A decent helles lager. Nothing to knock your socks of, but a steady beer.
Day 12: Thursday, December 11, 2014 – Rodenbach 2011 Vintage Oak Aged Barrel No 95
Going back to when it was my first ever sour beer, I’ve loved the beers from Rodenbach Brewery in Belgium. Last year, I tried their vintage offering for the first time, with the 2010 edition. I loved that beer so much, that when I ran across a 2011 in a beer shop in Gouda recently, I almost fell off a stool I was in such a rush to grab it, especially since it was their last bottle. This is an amazing beer! A perfect mix of funky sour, sweetness, and oak aged richness. Not too tart, not too sweet. Just right in every way! I saved this one specifically for Thursday, as it was my birthday. I want to try to make the Rodenbach Vintage a birthday tradition every year going forward now!
Day 13: Friday, December 12, 2014 – Winter Brigand Winter Warmer
I went into the city of Eindhoven for a friend’s going away party, to one of my favorite beer cafes in town, De Baron. They always have a few interesting beers available on tap, as well as a great selection of bottles. I went straight to the taps for my first beer of the night, this winter warmer from Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck in Belgium. The Winter Brigand is 9%, and a bit strong for a starter, but it had a decent taste.
Day 14: Saturday, December 13, 2014 – Krones Eifeler Landbier
Returned today with some colleagues from work to the Christmas Markets of Monschau, Germany, in the Eifel National Park region near the Belgian Border. This is a beautiful little village along the Rur river, which is transformed into one of the most picturesque Christmas villages from the end of November through December. My normal staple during Christmas Market visits is the Gluhwein or other specialties, but when we stopped for dinner and I saw this local beer on the menu, I knew I had to give it a shot. This Zwickelbier from Gemünder Brauerei was quite clean and refreshing, a nice dinner change of pace from the sweet Glühwein and orangepunch.
Stay tuned next week for the next group of beers of the calendar. I’ll be trying to get to even more Christmas-specific beers as we get closer to the holiday itself.
1 comment
I wish I could try all these beers with you guys. 🙂