I’ll admit that when it comes to Craft Beer Advent Calendars, I’m no expert. It’s only my second year of enjoying them for what that’s worth. But I do know craft beer, or at least I’d like to think so. Regardless, someone whose knowledge of craft beer I trust is Magic Bear Beer Cellar proprietor Craig Altabello, a certified cicerone, which is a major reason why I was excited to drink my way through Magic Bear’s version of the beer advent calendar.
Going in, I knew I could trust Altabello’s beer selection judgement and Magic Bear’s Beer Advent Calendar did not disappoint. I appreciated the attention to detail and focus on classic styles; there were Buffalo Bills-themed beers for gamedays, a number of winter seasonals, and beers both big and small and light and dark. There was also a lager on Dec. 10 for National Lager Day. And the best part about beer advent calendars is the introduction to new beers I more than likely otherwise would not have had. There were lagers, winter ales, stouts, sours, witbiers, porters and more, covering basically all parts of the style spectrum.
Unibroue Blanche de Chambly and Hacker-Pschorr Weissbier are true classics, and revisiting them was a highlight of the process. And speaking of highlights, Strangebird Winnebago Warrior was a solid West Coast IPA (so much so that I took a day to drive up to Rochester to grab more from the brewery), Edmund’s Oast Brewing Something’s Cold Blonde Ale and Prison City Brewing Cream Ale were simply fantastic and wonderful representations of their respective styles (the former was one of the best blonde ales I’ve had in a long time), Imprint Brewing Chocolate Pistachio Cheesecake Imperial Stout was a treat (notes of marshmallow, coconut, chocolate, vanilla) at 11%, as was Magic Bear’s collaboration with Rising Storm, Beary Creamy Sour IPA, a style I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of. But this one was good. Another favorite of mine was 903 Brewers Gus Polinski And the Kenosha Kickers Cinnamon & Spice Ale. The reference (who doesn’t love “Home Alone”) and the beer were great – big spice notes without being heavy-handed with cinnamon.
Beers included this year:
- Day 1 – Beer Tree Pils By a Billion
- Day 2 – Eli Fish Brewing Guapi Lush
- Day 3 – Unibroue Blanche de Chambly
- Day 4 – Strangebird Winnebago Warrior IPA
- Day 5 – Hacker-Pschorr Weissbier
- Day 6 – Edmund’s Oast Brewing Something’s Cold Blonde Ale
- Day 7 – Imprint Brewing Chocolate Pistachio Cheesecake Imperial Stout
- Day 8 – Browar Fortuna Komes Raspberry Porter
- Day 9 – Mortalis Brewing Demihydra Sour
- Day 10 – Jack’s Abby Brewing Toy Soldier Christmas Lager
- Day 11 – Prison City Brewing Cream Ale
- Day 12 – Hardywood Gingerbread Stout
- Day 13 – Magic Bear x Rising Storm Brewing Beary Creamy Sour IPA
- Day 14 – Weyerbacher Merry Monks
- Day 15 – Other Half Brewing Brocpile IPA
- Day 16 – Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
- Day 17 – Ommegang Farm Fresh Ale
- Day 18 – ONCO Fermentation Raspberry Stuff’d Pastry Stout
- Day 19 – Boddington’s Pub Ale
- Day 20 – Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
- Day 21 – Brewery Ardennes Wintertime Spice
- Day 22 – Brasserie de L’Abbaye Val-Dieu Winter Ale
- Day 23 – Troegs Grand Cru
- Day 24 – 903 Brewers Gus Polinski And the Kenosha Kickers Cinnamon & Spice Ale
Beer Advent Calendars are a fantastic way to spend the holidays – it’s like opening a Christmas present nearly every day in December. Opening the daily ‘door’ was a festive, flavorful way to make the season a little brighter, one beer at a time. And Magic Bear’s Beer Advent Calendar was one of the best ones I’ve ever done – the selection was wide-ranging and the beers were expertly curated. I’m definitely on board once again for this year and can’t wait to see what beers Craig puts together this coming advent season. I hope you’ll join me – see you in December.
Brian Campbell is co-founder and Brand Manager of the Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at brian@buffalobeerleague.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram, Threads and Untappd (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).
