Advent Beer calendar, the final week

Jeff Green | Dec 21, 2016

This is it, the last seven beers in our month long journey. This week, with the holidays fast approaching the focus is on the biggest, strongest, most flavourful varieties. The solstice is hear and Christmas is at our door so it is time for beers that have been aging and picking up flavour and spice and character in the barrel and the bottle for a couple of years. I have also engaged an expert, DJ Softcell (AKA Surah Field-Green) to put together a millenials guide to alternative seasonal music to go with the beer. The list of songs comes at the end of the list of beers and can also be heard at our Youtube channel (Google Youtube Frontenac News – you can’t miss it)

Sunday – The last week of work beckons and before moving into the heavy beers I will make one more pitch for the Imperial IPA. Beaus Brewery, as part of their Wild Oats series, makes Screaming Beaver, and oak aged IPA that is mellower than other IPA’s (ie less hoppy) but full of fruitiness. Although we are devoted to Ontario here, another option that is sometimes available are IPA’s from Dogfish Head, the 90 minute IPA is superb and they also make a 120 minute that I have never had, and a beer called Burton Baton that is an oake aged IPA that is mellowed by the age and alcohol.

Monday – What the hay, lets hit the Barley Wine. Mill Street of Toronto is a brewery whose beers I don’t always like but I am starting to enjoy them more, even as they have moved out of the independent beer scene by being sold to an international brewing conglomerate. They make an 11.5% Mill Street Barley wine that is only availbale this time of year. No matter what I thought about their ales and lagers, this beer is sweet and full, without being too sticky on the tongue. I like to our only a small amount of barley wine in a glass, and drink it pretty cold, almost like port or strong wine. I the pour another and another, but filling a large glass with it makes it too daunting.

Tuesday – It’s close enough to the solstice now to pull out a 2 year old bottle of Flying Monkey’s Chocolate Manifesto. Milk chocolate stout, not exactly. It is a chocolate stout, with lots of dark chocolate nibs, and also a milk stout, with lactose in it. The lactose makes it smooth, the chocolate and aging make it sweet and strong and all together it is a great beer. A note for anyone who gets to Quebec. One of the best milk stouts around is called La Vache Folle by Charlevoix brewery. I could drink that on summer and winter solstice and every day in between.

Wednesday – It’s no time to worry about the normal rules, it’s the shortest night of the year. Sorry Ontario, I need some Solstice D’hiver tonight. Dieu du Ciel, one of the best breweries in Quebec or anywhere make this barley wine elixir. It has everything. Again, small sips, slow drinking, it’s like a sweet whisky.

Thursday – not only back to Ontario but back to Kingston. On Monday night, my wife was lucky enough to get two bottles of Juggernaut from Stone City. It was released on Friday and never lasts long, but we got some. It is a bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout. Not really for drinking with food, more of an after dinner, around the fire beer. Very full and very heavy but frothy at the same time. It reminds me a bit of Nicklebrook’s Kentucky Bastard (which is delicious) but it is not as heavy. It really is the holidays when these beers come out.

Friday – Christmas Eve, eve, and again I am going to cheat, only because people in Ontario need to know about this Barley Wine and this brewery. Trois Mousquetieres makes specialty beers. They are all unusual. Their Barley Wine Americain benefits from aging and I buy a bottle each year and drink a two year old one if I can. It is an experience. So much flavour. It has lots of caramel, but no sticky finish as long as it is not let to warm up too much. A 750 ml bottle shared with 2-4 friends is a great antidote to everything that hurts after a hard year of work.

December 24, the final night, the final beer. Cuvee from Nickelbrook, brewed in Hamilton by a guy from Sydenham. This I also wait two years to drink. It is not as heavy as a barley wine, but full of spice, and with a hint of sourness. A beer like no other, I wait all year for it.

Millennial's Christmas Mixtape by DJSoftcell

I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need.. a playlist. Christmas music isn't for everyone. And by the time you're trudging through slush to shop for last minute gifts, jingle bells is the last thing you want to hear. So sit back and enjoy an eclectic mix of songs that you may not have heard yet. Pour a fine beer, shut off the Netflix noise, and enjoy.

Click here to listen to the playlist.

Tracks
Maybe this Christmas by Lapland
Purple Snowflakes by Marvin Gaye
Just Like Christmas by Low
O Tannenbaum #1 by Vince Guaraldi Trio (A Charlie Brown Christmas)
Merry Christmas Baby by Otis Redding
Goodbye England Covered in Snow by Laura Marling
Joy to the World by Eef Barzelay
Snow, Lights by Flora Cash
Winter Wonderland by Cocteau Twins
What Christmas Means to Me by Stevie Wonder
And Anyway it's Christmas by !!! Chk Chk Chk
A 'DC' Christmas Medley by Destiny's Child
Last Christmas by Future Islands (Wham! Cover)
Another Lonely Christmas by Prince
Winter is Passing by Luluc
River by Joni Mitchell
All That I Want by The Weepies