After 24 or so days of consistent drinking, I have enjoyed working through Craft Beer Cellar Grand Rapids’s Beer Advent Calendar for 2018!
It was a fun experience to see what Brian Beaucher and his team at Craft Beer Cellar Grand Rapids came up with for each box. They made 144 boxes this year and there were two rounds of boxes. I had a box from Round 1.
One of the points that Brian made when I interviewed him about the boxes was that each Craft Beer Cellar store selects what goes in each box and that “beer selection varies greatly by region.” The box that Craft Beer Cellar Grand Rapids made went “light on national brands.”
This post, The List – Craft Beer Cellar GR Beer Advent Box – Part 1, is going rank the national and international selections in terms of how I enjoyed them. Each beer name links to Untappd and my notes for each are also included. Cheers!
The List – 2018 Beer Advent Calendar
1. Cinnamon Roll Imperial Ale
- Almost identical in taste to a warm cinnamon roll right out of the oven on Christmas morning
- Southern Tier Brewing Company
- Lakewood, NY
- Day 13
2. Fresh Haze IPA
- Came in a 19 oz can, which was packed with hazy deliciousness
- Deschutes Brewery
- Bend, OR
- Day 10
3. Accumulation
- Promises of snow lingered early on the box yet we had a green Christmas in Michigan 🙁
- New Belgium Brewing Company
- Fort Collins, CO
- Day 2
4. Pennsylvania Tuxedo
- Spruce tips are added to this pale ale and are not too strong
- Dogfish Head Brewery
- Milton, DE
- Day 16
5. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (Our Special Ale 2018)
- Malty and light with holiday spices sprinkled in
- Anchor Brewing Company
- San Francisco, CA
- Day 12
6. Samuel Adams White Christmas
- Light wheat beer with a touch of holiday spices
- Boston Beer Company
- Boston, MA
- Day 15
7. Coffee Eugene
- Roasty and toasty porter with a strong coffee taste
- Revolution Brewing
- Chicago, IL
- Day 19
8. Xocoveza
- Was an award winning home brew concoction inspired by Mexican hot chocolate; fell short with me with light chocolate and no heat
- Stone Brewing & Cerveceria Insurgente
- Escondido, CA & Tijuana, Baja California Mexico;
- Day 21
Honorable Mention – International
There were two days that had international beers. I’m glad that these were early on in the box because I did not enjoy them as much as the other twenty-two days. Nonetheless, they provided variety and allowed me to expand my craft beer palate.
FruitAge
- Intriguing combination of old ale and fruit
- Brouwerij Rodenbach
- West Vlaanderen, Belgium
- Day 5
Veltins Pilsener
- Very light, almost tasteless
- Brauerei Veltins
- NW Germany
- Day 6
Well, that does it for first part of the Beer Advent Calendar from Craft Beer Cellar Grand Rapids.
What do you think?
Would you have ranked the non-Michigan beers in the order as me? Which one of these beers would you have liked to enjoy in the box? Let us know in the comments below!
Check out The List – Craft Beer Cellar GR Beer Advent Box – Part 2 will for the ranking of the Michigan beers!
Cheers!
Disclaimer: Ed purchased the Beer Advent Box from Craft Beer Cellar Grand Rapids.
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