Brady here 👋
I love this tradition we’ve started with the beerdvent calendar each December. It’s an extra little perk I can look forward to during the Christmas season. Each day there’s the anticipation of what the beer might taste like that day. Whether it’ll be surprising and fun or a total fail while I struggle to finish it. Even the total fails are fun. 😁
Anyways, here’s my notes for this years calendar. Hopefully you can be informed a little and laugh along with us. Enjoy! 🍻
1. Shape Shifter Session Ale w/ candied oranges – 4% – Light Beer – Great kick off, a light ale, hint of orange, not too fruity. Right up my alley! – 4/5
2. Seven Seas White IPA w/ dulse and sea salt – 5.6% – Strong Beer – A step up from yesterday surprisingly. Crisp and refreshing with a hint of salt. An IPA to be admired! – 5/5
3. Reverberator Belgian Pale Ale w/ brettanomyces – 5% – Beer – another light ale. Not as crisp as the previous two. Slightly heartier with more traditional ale flavour. – 3/5
4. Honey I’m Home Heather and Honey Ale – 4.7% – Beer – Smooth and sweet, this ale was an easy one to drink quickly. It went especially well with my wife’s pickle nachos. Yum! – 4/5
5. Sonic Fruits Guava Sour – 4.7% – Beer – This is a beer I’d buy a whole case of and drink at the lake. Slightly sour, but not too sweet either. Like a manly lemonade! Ten outta ten!! – 5/5 (Hailey’s note: I really liked this one! Best one of the box, in my opinion! Weird to say I’d drink a whole can of something sour, but it was SO good!)
6. Technocolour Multi-Berry Wheat Ale – 5.7% – Strong Beer – Not my favourite beer of the group. Probably my least favourite actually. Too much berry and not enough beery. – 2/5
7. Little Helper Premium Rice Lager – 5.5% – Beer – a pretty average beer. No crazy flavours. No strong flavour. I’d call it decent. – 3/5
8. Puzzle Piece Barrel Aged Dry Hopped Sour – 6.9% – Strong Beer – that first sip.. Bam!! It’s a shock to the system. Almost too much so. But the flavour is fantastic once you get used to how strong it is. Very tasty. But too sour to drink more than one in a sitting. I wouldn’t buy a whole case.
9. False Nine West Coast IPA w/ Kveik Yeast – 5.5% – Beer – another very solid IPA. I love IPAs so I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nothing put it over the top though. Nothing stands out. – 4/5
10. Knighty Night Mexican Hot Chocolate Porter w/ Cacao Nibs, Cinnamon, and Guajillo Chili – 6% – Strong Beer – Much like the name, there was too many things in this beer. I’m not a big fan of porters so this one was weird for me. Tasted a lot like a stout. *shrug emoji* – 2/5
11. Metro Gnome Barrel Aged Brett Farmhouse w/ Elderflower and Rose – 6.1% – Strong Beer – This is a delightful beer. Tastes like candy in a beerful, manly way. I would buy a whole case of this. – 4/5
12. Mr Needles Fir Pale Ale – 6.1% – Strong Beer – NOT a fan of this one! Felt like I was drinking the water from my Christmas Tree stand about 3 months after Christmas when the tree is turning moldy. – 1/5 (Hailey’s note: It smells right but tastes WRONG! Can a drink sting?)
13. True Sounds Session Bière De Garde w/ Coriander – 5.5% – Smooth and unremarkable. Sometimes it’s nice to have an unremarkable beer. Just decent. Not shocking. One thumb up! – 3/5
14. Illuminatus Hoppy Cerveza w/ Corn – 4.5% – Beer – This is a cross between a light beer like a corona and an IPA. Refreshing and easy to drink. Just a bit hoppy, to make you just a bit happy. – 4/5
15. (Hailey) Chasing Rainbows Tropical Stout w/ Rapadura Sugar – 6.3% – Strong Beer – Not especially tropical. Some hints of fruit but not as much as I’d like. I probably wouldn’t drink it again but it was alright. – 3/5 (Hailey’s note: We got behind in his beer drinking so I took one for the team. Good not great 🤷🏼♀️It was better than his, but he says his was better than mine.)
16. Uncle Gaston Hazy IPA – 6.5% – Strong Beer – A very respectable beer! I love IPAs so this was a win for me. Hazy is a great word to describe it. Kinda washy and full bodied. Would definitely buy again! – 4/5
17. David Hasselhops Double IPA – 8.0% – Strong Beer – IPAmazing! (Say it out loud. 😏) This was a stellar beer! No tricks. No extras. Just flavour. Top Notch! – 5/5
18. Whiteout Tequila Sour White IPA – 7.0% – Strong Beer – Excellent! I loved this one! So smooth it almost doesn’t taste like beer. But not overly sweet at all. Excellent! – 5/5
19. Open Saison Hot Toddy Saison – 6.0% – Strong Beer – Not a winner for me. It smelled like baby vomit and alcohol and it didn’t taste too far off from that. I got used to it as the meal went on but there was never a redeeming moment. – 2/5
20. Eau Rouge Tart Tomato Ale – 5.0% – Beer – The flavour was not terrible. It was a mix of tomato juice and Clamato and beer. However, it was the burpiest beer if ever had. Every sip required a large burp with a hint of spit up. Very difficult to get through. -2/5 (Hailey’s notes: Barfity barf barf 🤮 I have nothing against tomato or clamato but this beer was disgusting. I’ve never heard Brady complain about a beer more than this year. His 2/5 is generous. He’s clearly just blocked the memory out. He hated it.)
21. Jingle Jangle Red Velvet Imperial Milk Stout w/ Cocoa, Vanilla, & Lactose – 8.5% – Strong Beer – A very stouty beer. Strong flavour. Not for the faint of heart. Not a beer I’d drink everyday but I would drink it again. – 3/5
22. Yea Old Boy Double Brown Ale – 7.4% – Strong Beer – This one was pretty smooth. Pretty average flavour for a darker beer. Relatively unremarkable. But I would drink it again. – 3/5
23. Yes Mate Belgian Tripel – 7.7% – Strong Beer – another beer I found rather unremarkable. Decent flavour, nothing special. I’d buy this again but not for the novelty. – 3/5
24. Santa Baby Barrel Aged Strawberry Basil Sour – 6.4% – Strong Beer – What a way to end the beerdvent calendar. What. A. Dud. This is one to skip because it is as bad as it sounds. It got worse as it went and I almost couldn’t finish it. Wahwah. – 1/5
Final notes
I enjoyed this year a lot! There was never a repeat! Always a new beer to try and be challenged with. Years ago I discovered I really enjoy IPAs by being challenged by a beerdvent calendar, so I try to taste every beer with a positive attitude. You never know what you might like. It’s surprising! 😁
I have to say it started with a bang! The first five days were exceptional! Two 5 outta 5s in 5 days, and I was excited for the rest of the case.
The middle stretch had a handful of duds including Mr Needles. I’ve had that one twice now and I don’t know why I drank it this second time. It doesn’t just taste bad, it’s difficult to drink. I don’t know why I subjected myself to that again. 🤢
The last 5 days or so was a fail. I’m not sure why they planned it like this but there was not a single beer I genuinely enjoyed. You know, a beer you taste for the first time with raised eyebrows and a ‘hmmm, not bad.’ That didn’t happen. Poor planning on their part. Or maybe it’s just my taste. 🤷♂️
But I’m still so glad to have had the beerdvent calendar again. I enjoy the experience every year. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys beer of any kind and needs to get out of their comfort zone. 😁
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my distaste for Mr Needles. 😬
Don’t drink that one!! 🍻