December 24th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

Guavaja by Mikkeller Baghaven – Huge funky Brettanomyces in the nose with some fruitiness. Taste is acidic in a very balanced way. The 38 months in the French oak foeder has worked magic. The guava addition is just about right and oak is just a faint note – all-in-all it makes this beer a big pleasure to drink.

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

70K Amburana Wood Barrel Aged by Against The Grain Brewery – This is pure enjoyment – Aromas of coconut, wood, chocolate, coffee and roasted malt. Taste is coconut, dark chocolate, a bit of coffee, and barrel flavors in the nicest way possible. This is smoothness and pure unspoiled enjoyment from first to the last sip. It doesn’t get much better than this! This is hygge in a bottle – liquid happiness once again!

Today is the last day of my two X-mas calendars but what a day! Both beers are extremely tasty. Guavaja is all that you would want from a wild ale. Flavors are very balanced and it’s just a joy to drink it. 70K Amburana Wood Barrel Aged is really what you would expect from a perfect barrel-aged imperial stout. This is all that I could ever want for Christmas. 

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.

This was all from my X-mas calendar – Merry Christmas!

December 23rd and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

St. Mikkelas by Mikkeller Brewing NYC – Belgian yeast phenols, ginger, cinnamon and raisins in the nose. Taste is heavy cinnamon and quite a lot of alcohol and ginger. This beer is somewhat dry and has a kind of acidic twang. Not the tastiest beer, but a fair try at the style. Next time: Go easy on the spices!

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

Chocolate Marion by Superstition Meadery – Honey, cocoa, raspberries and a bit of blackberry in the aroma. Taste is huge redberry-flavors and honey with some cocoa right behind them. Behind all this berry galore is a nice acidity that makes this mead highly drinkable. This is a truly great glass of mead and I would so much want to be able to afford more of it – It’s liquid happiness!

Christmas beers are often a question of hit or miss – St. Mikkelas is sadly mostly a miss. The base beer is okay, but spices are over-done to my taste. Spices in a beer should only be a hint that intrigues you and makes you think: What is that thing? The Superstition mead, on the other hand, is absurdly tasty and makes me long for more – I have only had a few experiences with Superstitions Meadery meads but they have all blown me away with their huge flavors and incredible balance between honey and fruit-additions. I want more! 

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!

December 22nd and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

Riesling People by Mikkeller – Citrus, and riesling in the nose with a tiny hint of pine. Taste is riesling and citrus with nice wine-like acidity. The feeling when drinking this beer is refreshment and summertime in the sun. The juicy fruity flavors make me long for summer and the nordic light. This time of year – and especially today when it’s solstice – summer is very far away. This beer is so much summer in a bottle.

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused by Brouwerij Het Anker – Aroma is so much like the incredible Gouden Carolus Cuvée van de Keizer Imperial Dark but with a slight note of the added Gouden Carolus Single Malt whisky – it’s bread, plum, raisin, sugar, and some chocolate. Taste is amazingly balanced velvety creamy Belgian strong dark ale with fruity notes of plum, raisin, vanilla, oak, and chocolate. This is surely a beer for the Emporer.

No doubt that Riesling People is a tasty beer but today it is nothing against Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused! The balance and everything else is just perfect in this Belgian marvel! This is what beer is supposed to be – pure enjoyment! If I could choose one one beer for the rest of my life, this one would definitely be a contender. If you have the chance at some point, treat yourself a visit to Brouwerij Het Anker in Mechelen in Belgium. The brewery and thier B&B is so much worth a visit.

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!

December 21st and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

Scour Scandinavia Spontan Seabuckthorn by Mikkeller – Funky Brettanomyces, oak and vanilla-like aromas from the Seabuckthorn. Taste very tart, probably due to the Seabuckthorn. Oak is definitely present along with Brettanomyces funk. This is a nicely dry and quite complex fruited lambic. To really appreciate this beer I think you have to like the quite unique flavor of Seabuckthorn.

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

The Only Way To Deal With The Currant Issues by Evil Twin Brewing NYC – Amazing red color. Aroma of red berries, jam, and fruited yogurt. Taste is a bit acidic, but nothing overwhelming – Ripe red berries are the main thing followed by a flavor of lime zest and a satisfying mouthfeel and nice soft carbonation. A super tasty beer!

For a sour beer lover like me the beers today are just right. The Only Way To Deal With The Currant Issues by Evil Twin Brewing NYC is everything you would want from a fruited sour beer with just about the right amount of both fruit, hops and acidity. On the other side, Scour Scandinavia Spontan Seabuckthorn by Mikkeller has that extra level of complexity from the oak and the Seabuckthorn. Maybe it’s the Seabuckthorn or maybe it’s just the Brettanomyces funk – I don’t know – but Scour Scandinavia Spontan Seabuckthorn is not as balanced as The Only Way To Deal With The Currant Issues. I like both beers a lot but forced to choose I’ll go with The Only Way To Deal With The Currant Issues as my favorite beer today.

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!

December 20th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

Mikkeller Sake Bomb by Mikkeller – Aroma of something like jasmine rice, bread and a bit of alcohol. Taste is rather sweet with quite a lot of floral flavors. Some alcohol is present maybe because of the quite dry feeling. A crisp beer, but still with a somewhat soft mouthfeel and an alcohol-like sweetness as a finishing note.

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

Oude Gueze Boon à l’Ancienne – Vat 108 Mono Blend by Brouwerij Boon – Super nice aromas of fruit, funk, and wood meets the nose. Taste is highly fruity with Brettanomyces funk, wood and tiny notes of bread. Complexity is high in this gueuze lambic. I officially a fan of Vat 108.

My god this Oude Gueze Boon à l’Ancienne – Vat 108 Mono Blend is tasty. The complexity of the fruit, oak, and funky Brettanomyces flavors is amazing. It’s tart and dry and yet fruity like few others. This is one of those bottles that you just don’t want to finish and hope that there is just another glass left. Mikkeller Sake Bomb is by far the best rice lager I have had, but the highly floral flavors and the crisp and dry feeling is not enough to make me want this one over the Boon beer. Vat 108 is amazing – If you like gueze lambic, this is a beer you should treat yourself.   

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!

December 19th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

Limbo Raspberry by Mikkeller – Raspberry and blackcurrants in the nose. Taste is huge raspberry and blackcurrant flavors with a nice underlying acidity. I quite like this fruity Flemish Primitive – it’s almost like a refreshing summer lemonade for a hot summer day. In fact, this beer would be perfect on a hot summer day or for one of those first sunny spring days. A super nice non-alcoholic beer.

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

A Fire By the Bines by Cloudwater Brew Co. – Aroma is juicy as few others with papaya, honeydew melon, and lemon. Mouthfeel is very creamy and full-bodied with a super soft carbonation and taste is full-blown papaya and lemon zest followed by some resinous pine. This is an awesome double New England IPA – again not an overwhelmingly sweet DIPA. This is how I like my DIPAs.

Fruit flavors are all over the place in today’s beers. Limbo Raspberry is probably the best non-alcoholic beer I have ever had. Fruit flavors are huge and in many ways, it reminds me of my grandmother’s homemade lemonade – a very tasty beer. A Fire By the Bines is equally as fruity but carried by the hop flavors of papaya and honeydew melon. It’s double New England IPA in that non-cloying and tasty way that I like very much. Bitterness is not overwhelming in any way, but still enough to make this beer very easy to drink. The very full-bodied feeling makes this a mouth-covering experience in the nicest way possible. I admit it, I like hazy, juicy, fruity, hoppy beers!

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!

December 18th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

Spontandryhop Centennial by Mikkeller – Brettanomyces and hops with fruity hints in the nose. Taste is fruity lambic with a bit of bitterness and some earthy,  floral and citrus notes from the hops. The most complex lambic ever, but still a nice glass of beer.

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

Eartha (Vintage 2015) by Penyllan Brewery – Funky Brettanomyces and cherries paired with some chianti, rose and a tiny hint of strawberry in the aroma. Cherries, caramel, a bit of bread and tart fruit flavors in the mouth. Carbonation is vivid and this beer is a display of complex acidity with notes of bitterness and warming alcohol in the end. This is once again a super tasty beer from Jessica and Christian.

Some days ago I had another one of the sour beers from Danish Penyllan Brewery and today it’s a very tasty experience once again. Jessica and Christian who run the brewery sure know how to do barrel-aged sour beers. Eartha is a super tasty mix of old ale, cherries, and chianti with nice complexity. This beer has so many layers of taste that every sip is a new and exciting experience. Neither funky Brettanomyces nor cherries and chianti is ever too much. It’s just pure enjoyment and dreams of summer in a bottle. The Spontandryhop Centennial is a tasty lambic with a nicely executed dry-hopping, but it’s nowhere near the complexity of Eartha. Today’s best beer is without a doubt Eartha from Danish brewery Penyllan.    

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!

December 17th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

Single Hop Series APA Citra by Mikkeller – Refreshing citrus and tropical fruits in the nose. Taste is much the same with Citra hops at center stage. The beer itself is quite simple, but that’s just right for this one. The flavors of bread and citrus and tropical fruits blend nicely with the relatively pronounced bitterness. A nice straight forward pale ale!

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

Patrons Project 5.07 // Ricky Lightfoot // Scafell Pike // DDH IPA by Northern Monk – Full-blown hop flavors in the nose. Ripe tropical fruits and some citrus dominates followed by a malty-sweet aroma. Taste is citrus and sweet peaches and apricots followed by some pine. Mouthfeel is full and supports the fruit flavors very nicely. Following all these impressions are flavors of melon – maybe honeydew – and some passionfruit. This is a really tasty New England IPA.

Today’s hoppy beers are both loaded with my favorite hop – Citra. Citra all over makes me sure that there is a chance I’m happy when drinking these beers. And boy am I happy! Single Hop Series APA Citra by Mikkeller is a very nice American pale ale. It’s not too sweet and it’s not too bitter. It’s just about right. Patrons Project 5.07 // Ricky Lightfoot // Scafell Pike // DDH IPA by Northern Monk is so much more than just about right. It’s a seriously tasty New England IPA with very evident flavors of Citra, Columbus, and Azacca hops. It’s tropical and citrus flavors all over the place and a very nice creamy mouthfeel without that overpowering sweetness that sometimes spoils a great juicy New England IPA. This is by far the best beer today. 

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!

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.  

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!

December 15th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:

🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄

Beer Geek Brunch by Mikkeller and Lervig – Coffee and chocolate in the nose – almost like a chocolate espresso. Taste is very balanced coffee and sweet dark chocolate flavors – much like a spongy chocolate cake with coffee icing on top. The mouthfeel is just about endlessly smooth and quite creamy. I could easily see this beer with a great brunch.

🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄

Patrons Project 19.02 // Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs // Psychopomp // Multivitamin Tropical Juice IPA by Northern Monk – Huge Citra and tropical fruits in the nose – almost like the aroma of multi-fruit juice. Taste is really like drinking freshly squeezed juice from ripe mango, pineapple, guava, and mandarin. There is next to no bitterness and mouthfeel is very creamy and soft. This is milkshake IPA at it’s best – a true fruit-bomb!

Today brings the first milkshake IPA in this X-mas calendar – and what a beer it is! It’s so incredibly juice and fruit flavors are everywhere. It’s easily the best milkshake IPA I have had. Don’t be mistaken, Beer Geek Brunch is not a bad beer – I like my imperial stouts with coffee and chocolate flavors – Patrons Project 19.02 // Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs // Psychopomp // Multivitamin Tropical Juice IPA is just an amazing beer with so much fruit flavor to offer that you might think there is a whole plantation in just this can. It’s a mind-blowingly fruity beer.

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!