beer advent 2015

hello friends!

happy december and welcome holiday season! there is something about the holidays that makes my heart smile. i love christmas cheer, decorations, spirit, music...all of it. this time of year really makes life seem more happy. what with the parties, the socials, community events, and parades. it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

one thing i have always wanted to do is an advent calendar. i've never been sure what to put in it though. i don't want a bunch of useless trinkets. but then i saw a wine advent calendar online. it was a bottle of wine for each day. ONE WHOLE BOTTLE. for 25 days. that is a shit ton of wine. plus, we don't really drink wine, but we definitely drink beer.

so the beer advent was born.

we have 25 days of beer. we decided to do one beer that we'd share each day. we bought the beers, wrapped them up, and numbered them. we tried to choose beers we have not had before. since we've never done this before and it is super awesome and fun, i wanted to share it with you. a quick disclaimer, there will be some beer nerd stuff in these posts. sorry, not sorry. i am not overly nerdy about beer, but to a novice or non beer drinker, it could seem that way. my goal is to blog ever fifth day to share with you the beers we've had and our thoughts on the beer.

so, without further ado, december 1-5....

december 1: aviator, black mamba, oatmeal stout.
we went up to our local bottle shop to celebrate my 2 year seizure free anniversary. so, today's beer was a bit different and special. it was a draft beer and keith and i each had our own beer.
this beer was very good. it is a dry stout with a slightly sweet finish. i enjoyed it a lot, but stouts are my favorite.

december 2: southern tier, 2XIBA, india black ale.
it was smooth and malty, with hop finish. we complemented it with an oreo cupcake [keith got it for me for my anniversary!]. it was a delicious addition to the beer.

december 3: dominion, double D, double IPA.
very smooth for a double IPA with just the right amount of hoppiness. thanks flo for sharing this one with us! it was delicious.

december 4: anchor, merry christmas and happy new year ale (our special ale).
i enjoyed how dark it was. it was overly spicy and had subtle bitter notes. if it weren't for the advent, i probably would not have picked out this beer. i am glad i did.

december 5: dark horse, 4 elf, winter warmer spiced ale.
it is a typical winter spiced beer - dark, with cinnamon and nutmeg spices. it was very good for it's style. i wasn't in the mood for another spiced beer, especially after having one the night prior. i can only handle so many in a season. but this beer was complete with nachos, pizza, and the acc championship. so, i have no reason to complain. 

4 elf and nacho prep.

it has been fun so far. each day it is exciting to unwrap a beer to see what tasty treat awaits us. it has been especially inviting to taste brews that we have not had before. because we are sharing one beer, it has not been overwhelming with the feeling of, "oh gosh, i have to drink more beer? please no."

see you in five days with an update of the next batch!

xoxo,
ks