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

my christmas memories

i love christmas. so i saw this survey on my friend, kimberly's blog. and i thought it would be fun to fill out. kimberly, i hope you don't mind me sharing your blog!

merry christmas!

Merry Christmas Survey!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? 
i like receiving wrapped gifts. but i am not going to lie, i prefer to give gift bags...its so much easier!

2. Real tree or Artificial?
well, i grew up with an artificial tree. sooo....i guess that is my preference? i love the christmas tree smell of real trees. but hey, they have candles that do that!

3. When do you put up the tree?
technically, never. ever since keith and i have been together, we've been poor college students. so we don't share this tradition, yet.
however, growing up, we'd put the tree up the weekend after thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down?
sometime after the new year.

5. Do you like eggnog?
hell yeah. we made our first real batch of egg nog this christmas. and it got rave reviews.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
my parents have a picture of my being very excited about getting a toothbrush in my stocking...hahha.
i remember my first stereo. that was a big deal because it had a CD player in it. ooohhhhoohhh. and my first cd? color me bad. oh yeah.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
my mother.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
everyone else.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
nope. but keith's parents do. does that count?

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
well, if i did christmas cards...i'd mail them out. i promise, next year. well, maybe.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
hmmmm. when i was 10 or 11, i remember getting some sweater outfit from my parents (aka "santa") and totally hating it. but i didn't have the heart to tell them that. i guess now they know...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Elf.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
after finals. so that means december.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
no. that's not very christmas-like.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
sweets and things that are bad for me.

16. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)?
Colored. christmas is the most perfect time of year to go overboard and to be tacky. 

17. Favorite Christmas song?
i don't know if i have a favorite. i just know them all thanks to four years of choir. when i was a kid jingle bell rock and winter wonderland were favorites.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
stay home! our families are close, so it's easy to do!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
On Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen, on Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen! i will have to give credit where credit is due...i simply copied and pasted this answer from Kimberly's blog.
and of course, we can't for get rudolph!

20. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree?
well, if we had a tree, i'd opt for a star. it's what we had growing up. so it's all i know. and all that seems right....

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
on christmas of course! what a silly question!

22. Favorite children's Christmas song?
didn't i just answer this question? aren't christmas songs really just for the children anyways?!

23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
it's cold.

24. Favorite ornament theme or color?
lights and glitter. we have never had a rhyme or reason to our ornaments. but lights and glitter are an important piece to decorating!!

25. Turkey or ham on Christmas day?
both?!

26. What do you want for Christmas this year?
i got what i wanted. two wonderful days with my two wonderful families :o)
and snow!

27. Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa?
no. but dad should. because he plays the part of santa at our house. he is the one who hands out the gifts.

28. Age you discovered who Santa was?
i can't remember....10ish? it seems like my parents were ready to tell us. by accidentally telling us the truth about santa.

29. Eggnog, hot chocolate, or apple cider?
they all sound great to me!!

30. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors?
what?

31. Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof?
i wish.....

32. How does Santa get into your house?
the chimney...

33. Do you prefer gifts or gift cards?
sometimes. it depends who it is from.

34. Favorite children's Christmas Cartoon?
charlie brown's christmas? frosty the snowman? i don't know...i haven't watched them in years.

35. Favorite Christmas Memory?
as kids, my brother and i would have to wait to go downstairs on christmas morning. we'd have to wait for my parents. it was such torture. but in the end worth it because we'd all go together to see what "santa" brought. and then spend the day opening presents!!

i hope you all had the merriest of christmases!!! and happy new year!