12 Days of #108Mas: MySoxSummer Breaks Down Christmas Beers

Yo.  As we continue the Section 108 12 Days of Xmas, let’s review some Christmas beers!  Right?  Sounds like a great fucking time.  You’d think, but honestly, most Christmas beers suck.  For reals.  But there are a few exceptions.

1- Bent River – Jingle Java – Holiday Stout.  

I love this beer.  Might be my favorite holiday stout of all time.  Bent River is a small brewery in the Quad Cities that makes some excellent beers.  Their Uncommon Stout is a wonderful beer too, and this is basically the same with coffee. vanilla, pecan. cinnamon, caramel and rum added.  I once (pre-kid) bought a case and a half of this beer just to drink through the holidays.  And I guarded those like my life depended on it, went all Elaine on people ” Are you Jingle Java worthy?”  Most were not.  I highly recommend picking up a 6 of this if you can find it.

2- Baderbrau – Christmas Bliss – Baltic Porter.  

When I found out that our buds at Baderbrau were making a Christmas beer I wasn’t all that hyped.  Mostly because I don’t care much for Christmas beers, as mentioned above, so when I finally had a can of Christmas Bliss I almost needed to change my pants.  This beer is excellent and I have bought several 6’ers (4 or 5 to be exact) to get me though this holiday season.  Easily my 2nd favorite dark beer they have done, Dry Schwarz is my #1 jam.  So if you live in the city, get your ass to the brewery or Mariano’s and pick up a 6’er of this for your holiday party.  Or for Christmas morn when you are trying to deal with all the excitement.

3- 3 Floyds – Alpha Klaus – Christmas Porter.  

Until I had a Bliss, this was my go to Christmas porter.  It’s hoppy as fuck, as most 3F brews are, but has some sweet notes on the finish.  Just a great brew all around.  I gave out bombers of this brew to all my groomsmen cause that is how I roll.  Great beer, I highly suggest picking this one up too.

A seasonal beer that I could include, but it isn’t a true Christmas beer, is Founders Breakfast Stout.  That beer, in 2010 really launched me into the whole craft beer scene.  If you haven’t picked up a 4pk of this delish oatmeal/coffee stout, you should.  It’s story time!

So in 2010 I had just moved back to Illinois from lovely California.  I spent a summer listening to the White Sox staying on the river crushing High Life like there was no tomorrow.  Young MSS was a huge Bud Light fan, HUGE.  But Young MSS also loved Guinness.  Young MSS didn’t make the correlation that a stout is a style of beer.  He wasn’t the smartest, as California has some incredible beers that he should have been drinking during his 7 years out there.  But alas he did not.

So one night, one of my favorite bands of all time the Smoking Popes, was playing a Quad City institute, RIBCO and upon my arrival, I asked the bartender for a coffee stout.  He said they didn’t have one, but this Breakfast Stout was pretty good.  Once it hit my lips, I was all like Frank The Tank going nuts! I had one, then went back for another and noticed halfway through my 2nd one that he ABV was a bit higher than most beers so I capped myself of this liquid gold at 32oz.

After that, my father and I split a case of Breakfast Stout for the winter, and I tried about every coffee stout I could get my hands on.  It really started me down my path of liking the good beers.

Well, that is it folks, I haven’t had a notable Christmas beer that I feel deserves a review or a shout from me, good or bad.  Have a favorite that you think I should try?  Send me a link, or better yet, buy me a fucking beer!

Merry New Year!

-MySoxSummer