If you know, you know! This years calendar hailed from Costco – Kirkland’s BeerAdvent Calendar, with 24 Canadian Craft Beer. Let’s get into it! 🍺
1. XhAle – See Ya Next Tuesday – Dry Hopped Aussie Style C-olsch- 4.6% beer – Hoo haw! This was a great beer to start the Christmas saison. See what I did there? 😉 This was a refreshing radler style sweet treat! Very fruity and a little bitter, it was a crisp delight! This shows potential for an excellent month! – 4.5/5
2. Village – Binge Watch – New Zealand Pale Ale – 4.5% Beer – A solid beer in a flashy can. I wanted to like it a little more than I did but I also wasn’t disappointed. I was adequately satisfied with this pale ale. – 3/5
3. Bow River Brewing – Belgian Wit – 5% – This was an odd one. I couldn’t quite pin down what it tasted like. It reminds me of some kind of dessert. But I couldn’t say what kind. It was made slightly less odd combined with some barbecue chips. This was a take it or leave it beer for me. – 2/5
4. Copper Bottom Brewing Company – Rabble Rouser Red – 5.4% Beer – a very flavourful amber beer. Rich and smooth, this a beer to enjoy with a fat greasy burger. Though it’s probably not a beer I’d buy a whole case of, I definitely enjoyed it. I WOULD drink it again if given the chance. – 3.5/5
5. Bow River Brewing – Highway Country Scottish Amber Ale – 5.2% Beer – This was a very flavourful amber ale with a hint of stoutiness. I very much enjoyed this beer even though I’m not the biggest fan of amber beers. I would recommend this to my beer drinking friends. – 4/5
6. Black Bridge Brewery – White Sage & Rye IPA – 7% Strong Beer – Wow! What a highlight! This beer had nicely crisp flavour. Tart, sweet, and an after zing that’ll make your cavities hurt. I loved this one and so did Hailey. I would highly recommend this one to IPA lovers everywhere. – 5/5
7. Common Crown Brewing Co – Crafted Lager – 4.8% Beer – This is a beer. Done and dusted. It’s not a bad beer. It’s not a great beer. It’s standard and beerish. Not much else to say. – 2.5/5
8. Medicine Hat Brewing Company – Pineapple Sour – 4.6% Beer – This was a winner for sure! On the outer edge of the beertherhood, this was more so an alcoholic fruit punch. Dont get me wrong, it was delicious and I would definitely drink it again. I think Hailey enjoyed it even more than I did. But it was a far cry from the beer of our forefathers. – 4/5
9. Fuggles – Destiny IPA – 6.0% Strong Beer – This was a great IPA! Exactly the flavour and punch that I love in an IPA. However, the can seemed to promise a much more exciting experience. That was a bit of a let down. If the can was little more chill I probably would’ve enjoyed it more. Haha. – 4/5
10. Spearhead Brewing Company – Queen of Wheat – 5.0% Wheat Beer – This was a pretty standard beer on first sip and I thought it was gonna end that way but then the finish had a twist. It tastes like flowers. And not in a pleasant, girly way. But rather in a soapy, slightly offensive way. I’d rather not come across this one again. – 2/5
11. New Level Brewing – Berserker Red – 5.5% Red Ale – This brewer spent too much time on the design of the can and nothing enough on the beer inside. It was a very average beer and being that I like amber ales but don’t love them, I was quite underwhelmed. The can was cool… – 2.5/5
12. Muddy York Brewing Co. – UNA MAS – Mexican style lager – 4.6% Beer – Welp. That was beer. Promises of a light, crisp, fresh beer definitely fell a little flat when I took my first couple sips. It’s beer. Like … coors light. Which I definitely don’t mind when I can buy a case on sale but not what I’d like in a specialty craft beer. Merp. Beer. – 2.5/5
13. Mariner Brewing – Ground Control – American Pale Ale – 4.8% Beer – This was a standard great beer! It’s not secret that I like pale ales. This was a pale ale that I liked. Done. – 4/5
14. Gahan – Sydney Street – Oatmeal Stout – 5.2% Beer – um. Yuck. I couldn’t even finish it. At one point while taking a sip I thought to myself ‘Why am I still drinking this?’ And I didn’t have a good answer. So I stopped. – 1/5
15. Village – Pet Peeve – Italian Pilsner – 5% Beer – Well it wasn’t bad. I normally don’t like pilsners. But this was ok. Um… yeah. It was ok. It had kind of a weird after taste but it subsides rather quickly. It was alright. – 2/5
16. Spearhead Brewing Company – Dollar Bills Premium Ale – 4.9% Beer – This was a pretty decent beer. It had a bit of an over powering, hoppy aftertaste but otherwise I wouldn’t shake my fist at it. Hailey said she wouldn’t drink a whole can, but I would. It was alright. – 3.5/5
17. Brewsters Brewing Company – River City Raspberry Ale – Blonde Ale – 5% Beer – much like our neighbour, Rae, this beer is delight! It’s light and crisp and pretty girly, but I would definitely drink this again. The raspberry flavour is definitely present but not overpowering, but also not underwhelming. It’s lovely! – 4/5
18. Little Brown Jug Brewing – Black Lager – 5% Beer – This dark beer was surprisingly light and refreshing. Not at all like dark beers Ive had in the past. While it wasn’t a home run for me, I still enjoyed every sip, right down to the dregs. I would drink this again if given the opportunity. – 3.5/5
19. Alley Kay Brewing Co – New Moon Hazy Pale Ale – 4.2% Beer – Um… yup! This is an excellent beer! I would 100% buy a whole case of this! A crispy, thick, oddly satisfying pale ale. I really enjoyed this one. I was lucky enough to pair it with some barbecue chips and…. Darn tootin! Good beer! – 5/5
20. Black Bridge Brewery – Milk Stout – 5.3% Beer – I’ve had this one in past years and I’d forgotten how pleasant it is for being a stout. I’m always pleasantly surprised by this one. Almost like a bitter sweet dessert. I really enjoyed this one tonight. – 4/5
21. Tool Shed Brewing Company – Red Rage – Red Ale – 5.6% Strong Beer – This was a pretty alright beer. The can seemed to want me to be more agitated by drinking it but I felt it was smooth and flavourful. With hints of chocolate to finish it off. I was quite happy with this one. Not rage inducing in the slightest. – 3.5/5
22. Cameron’s Brewing – Dry Hopped Lager – 5.2% Beer – A delightfully crisp and refreshing beer! Very heavy on the hops but twas delicious in my opinion. I like hoppy beers. I would drink a case of this if given the chance. Yum! – 4.5/5
23. Bridge Brewing Company – Bourbon Blood Orange Wheat Ale – 5.5% Beer – This was quite a delicious, citrusy beer. I quite enjoyed this one! Though, I probably wouldn’t choose it on a regular basis. Orange isn’t a flavour I want to associate with beer on a normal day. This one passed with moderately flying colours. – 3/5
24. Leduc Brewing Company – de la Crème Vanilla Cream Ale – 6.0% Strong Beer – What a sweet treat this was! The perfect combination of smooth and sweet. A desert beer to finish off the saison in a wonderful way! I think this would be a great one to share with friends at the end of meal. – 4/5
What an excellent beer advent calendar this year! Good choice my love! If I had to pick a favourite, I’d have to say the New Moon Hazy Pale Ale because I’m just a sucker for thick IPAs.
This one had a wide variety of beers and didn’t feel repetitive. But it also didn’t have any memorable failures. I really enjoyed this one! Highly recommended! If you get a chance to try this one next year or perhaps on sale in the new year, take it!! It’s worth it! I’d give it a 4.5/5 overall!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!