December 16th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Beer Geek Dessert by Mikkeller and Lervig – Vanilla and chocolate in the nose paired with something that reminds me of a “bleeding” chocolate cake with caramel. Taste is huge vanilla flavors with roasted malt, some bitterness, dark chocolate, very dark caramel. Sweetness is a bit over the top to me and I usually like sweet things. It’s still a nice pastry stout, but if brewed again I think I would prefer the sweetness to be dialed down a bit.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Barrel Aged Frogichlaus 2019 by Hoppin’ Frog Brewery – Malty and sweet aroma with hints of bourbon and a tiny bit of caramel and chocolate. Taste is malty sweetness with bourbon, oak, vanilla, and a bit of milk chocolate. The beer is by no means too sweet. It’s a very nicely balanced experience that reminds me of a great barley wine in some ways. Taste is much more “clean” though. Probably what you would expect from a lager style beer with a 12.4% ABV. A very tasty beer. If this is a Christmas beer I want many more before it’s all over in a week and a half!
An actual Christmas beer in my calendars today – with the level that Barrel Aged Frogichlaus 2019 provides, it’s totally okay with me. In some ways it reminds me of a bock of some kind, but this beer is endlessly much better. It’s actually just shy of being perfect. Again the Mikkeller calendar beer doesn’t stand a chance against my wife’s homemade calendar. Beer Geek Dessert is not a bad beer at all. It’s just up against a beer from the highest shelf. On any other day I would easily be satisfied with Beer Geek Dessert, but today it just seems a bit rough and unpolished compared to the smoothness of Frogichlaus’ velvety soft bourbon barrel aged niceness. Â
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
See you tomorrow!
A Word On Beers 