I’ve written it in articles and mentioned it many times on my podcasts; I was bummed when I missed out on grabbing an Advent Beer Calendar in 2022. I vowed to not let that happen in 2023, so I didn’t, thanks to Consumer’s Beverages and their Advent Beer Calendar – twenty four expertly curated craft beers, each one a mystery, enjoyed daily throughout the holiday season.
The way it works is, each Advent Beer Box includes a variety of beer styles, including lagers, ambers, stouts, IPAs, sours and more. Cans are individually numbered and are meant to be enjoyed on each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas, beginning on December 1. Each beer itself is a mystery, meaning you never know what beer you are going to get on any given day.
Things started out well with a fresh Grimm Wavetable IPA, and then moved to one of my favorite dark lagers, Kostritzer Schwarzbier. The beer box featured a lot of beer new to me, which was the best part of the experience. From Bell’s Oberon Eclipse, a citrus wheat ale, to Foam’s Built to Spill Double IPA, Brewdog’s It’s a Beaut Clark, a pecan and toffee stout that turned out to be one of my favorite beers of the entire box, and so on and so forth. Having Pills Mafia on Sunday, Dec. 10 was a nice touch, though I would have liked another Bills-themed beers the following Sunday for game day, or even Dec. 23 for the Bills-Chargers game, but I ain’t mad at Troegs Mad Elf. It was tremendous to revisit beers like Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, Rohrbach Scotch Ale and Sierra Nevada Celebration as well. My only gripe was the inclusion of Boddington’s, a macro beer. It’s a fine enough beer, but still. I would have also preferred more local beers – the box was only 25% local. Again, I know that’s not the end all be all, but still.
Here’s what the 2023 Consumer’s Advent Beer Calendar featured:
- Dec. 1 – Grimm Wavetable IPA
- Dec. 2 – Kostritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei Schwarzbier
- Dec. 3 – Hamburg Brewing Blackberry Gose
- Dec. 4 – Lexington Brewing Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale
- Dec. 5 – Ellicottville Brewing Orange Chocolate Blonde Ale
- Dec. 6 – Bell’s Oberon Eclipse
- Dec. 7 – Foam Brewers Built to Spill
- Dec. 8 – Genesee Brewing Citrus Pils
- Dec. 9 – Boddington’s Pub Ale
- Dec. 10 – Thin Man Brewery Pills Mafia
- Dec. 11 – Brewdog It’s a Beaut Clark
- Dec. 12 – Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA
- Dec. 13 – Rohrbach Brewing Scotch Ale
- Dec. 14 – Founder’s French Toast Bastard
- Dec. 15 – Thin Man Brewery Minkey Tango
- Dec. 16 – Ommegang Nitro Three Philosophers
- Dec. 17 – Unibroue La Fin Du Monde
- Dec. 18 – Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
- Dec. 19 – Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA
- Dec. 20 – Southern Tier Brewing Old Man Winter
- Dec. 21 – Big Ditch Brewing Kringle Juice IPA
- Dec. 22 – Victory Brewing Merry Monkey
- Dec. 23 – Troegs Mad Elf
- Dec. 24 – Breckenridge Brewery Christmas Ale
Overall, I quite enjoyed this experience. But then again, how could I not? Thank you to my friends at Consumer’s Beverages for the fun ride and all of the great beer. I’m already looking forward to doing this again next year.
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 (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).
