The Beer Advent Calendar Project #BrewedAwakening

By / Wine + Drinks / December 8th, 2017 / 5

This year I decided to jump on the beer advent calendar bandwagon. I had avoided them in the past, largely due to the initial cash outlay (they typically run from $130-150 for a 24 day pack), but this year I jumped in with both feet, and am reviewing each beer in a video on my Facebook site, in a countdown to Christmas.

Last night I reviewed day #7’s beer, a Grisette from Camba, in Germany. A Grisette is a refreshing, wheat-based ale historically consumed by miners, to cool their dusty throats. The one from Camba was very fizzy, with a dense, rocky head. It had a lemony nose, with basically no hops of note. It was refreshing and moderate in alcohol, and had a clean, fresh finish. It was my favourite of the pack so far, because many of them are very strong and/or very hoppy. My tastes lean more to lower alcohol, moderately hopped brews.

Booze themed advent calendars, whether for beer, wine, spirits, or a mix, are trendy for a reason: they are super fun. It’s exciting to open the door and pluck out each day’s brew. I went for the International calendar, as opposed to the Maritime one, because I knew there would be mostly beers that I’ve never had before, and in styles that I don’t drink regularly. So it is both a daily dose of fun and a refresher on the kind of beers that are popular with beer nerds these days. Thus far I’ve had everything from a Belgian inspired Dubbel from Norway to a White IPA from Spain.

Tonight I’ll sip on an American Imperial Stout. It’s not really my kind of beer, but I’ll enjoy the lesson.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Craig Pinhey discovered good drink circa 1985 at Ginger’s Tavern/Granite Brewery in Halifax and has been writing about beer, wine and spirits for 25 years. A Certified Sommelier and BJCP judge, Craig lives in New Brunswick where he runs his own writing and consulting business and is the beverage columnist for Brunswick News. He is the only person to have judged all of the national wine, spirits and beer awards of Canada.

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