2011 Kalendar Guide

Click on the list at the right to see each day's beer.

This year's inspiration for selection was:  world's best beers.  This year you'll find an amazing selection of the best German, Belgian, and American brews, with some delightful stops in places like the Czech Republik, London, and Wisconsin [sic].

Special thanks this year to my biblical friends Jonathan and David who helped move, arrange, label, and pack everything. It's no small task. I couldn't have done it without them.

Give us your opinion! Each page includes rating categories: yuck, yawn, yum, yoi! All you have to do is click. It may help in future selections. Also, feel free to leave comments. Feedback or questions are welcomed at episcopaul@gmail.com.
And let us never forget the reason for Advent, and The One whose appearing we eagerly await, and for whom we always keep watch.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Love and Cheers, everyone!

1. Spaten Oktoberfest

Brewer: Spaten
Location: Munich, Germany
Link: www.spatenusa.com
Style: Munich Oktoberfest (in German: Märzen)
ABV: 5.9%

There are six historic breweries in Munich. Spaten is one of them. They make this Oktoberfest beer (which is a personal favorite). Unfortunately, Spaten now makes this brew year-round, so it's lost a bit of the seasonal variety. A great way to start Advent is to give thanks for Oktober. Here's to Munich!

2. AV Hop Ottin' IPA

Brewer: Anderson ValleyLocation: Booneville, California

Link: www.avbc.com

Style: IPA (India Pale Ale)
ABV: 7.0%

India Pale Ales were brewed by Britons who needed their drink last through colonial conquest in India.  Jam-packed with hops.  This is a great IPA.

3. Wittekerke

Brewer: Brouwerij Bavik

Location: Harelbeke-Bavikhove, Belgium

Link: www.bavik.be

Style: Witbier (Belgian "white beer")

ABV: 5.0%

This Belgian brew is a great way to sample their "white beer" style, which is a nice, cloudy, unfiltered, opaque beer.  It's cloudy because of the high level unfiltered wheat.  It's like Hoegaarden, but a good step up.

4. Stoudt's Gold

Brewer: Stoudt's Gold

Location: Adamstown, PA

Link: www.stoudtsbeer.com

Style: Munich Helles (Bright) Lager

ABV: 5.0%

You will likely drink this and think "borrrring."  To the contrary.  This is one of my favorite beers, and it somehow makes it into the Kalendar every year.  Imitation is the finest form of flattery, and Stoudt's gets this spot-on.  It's their copy of Munich Helles Lager, which is drunk in vats in Munich.  Think "smooth and refreshing" instead of "deep and clever", and consider how perfect it would be with food.  Wunderbar.

5. Fraoch Heather Ale

Brewer: Williams Bros Brewing Co

Location: Alloa, Scotland

Link: www.williamsbrosbrew.com

Style: Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale

ABV: 5.0%

First appearance for this brew in a Kalendar.  Please rate/comment.
You can read about the style here.  It claims to be what we'd think of medieval.
To quote a brilliant English king:  "The problem with Scotland is that it's full of Scots!"

6. Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold

Brewer: Hacker-Pschorr

Location: Munich, Germany

Link: www.hacker-pschorr.de

Style: Munich Helles (Bright) Lager

ABV: 5.5%

This is the beer that Stoudt's Gold is re-creating!  Another of the historic breweries of Munich.  This past May, my friends Joel & Courtney and I sat at "the Pschorr" brew-pub in Munich on a most beautful, sunny day to sample this.  I specifically remember them sullying it as "metallic", and I've never spoken to them since.  (Secret message to them:  Ihr habt keine Geschmacksknospen, und ihr seid wahnhafte. Hugs and Kisses.)

7. Samuel Smith India Ale

Brewer: Samuel Smith's Old Brewery
Location: Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, UK

Link: www.samuelsmithsbrewery.com.uk
Style: English India Pale Ale (IPA)

ABV: 5.0%

Samuel Smith is a great brewing company from the UK.  This is one of the most expensive bottles in the Kalendar this year.  If you love IPAs, you'll love this. It's less bitter than some.

8. Leffe Blonde

What a great pic, eh?  And the bottle is beautiful.

Brewer: Abbaye de Leffe

Location: Dinant, Belgium

Link: www.abbaye-de-leffe.be

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

ABV: 6.6%

This somehow makes it into the Kalendar year after year.  It's good, but perhaps overrated.  Or perhaps purchased by many because it's not nearly as expensive as the rest of the over-priced, over-hyped Belgian fad of the past decade.  Definitely pour this into a glass to drink.

9. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co

Location: Chico, California

Link: www.sierra-nevada.com

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.6%

This gets great ratings, and I know people who love it.

It deserves its rightful place as a "world's best" in this Kalendar.

It's the workhorse of top shelf American Pale Ales.

10. Blanche de Chambly

Brewer: Unibroue

Location: Chambly, Québec, Oh Canada

Link: www.unibroue.com

Style: Witbier ("White Beer"

ABV: 5.0%

When we think of "great" Canadian beers, most of us fail.  Molson?  Moosehead?  LaBatt Ice?  Whatever.  But Unibroue is doing great work.  Leave it to the Qébecois, I suppose.  This is Blanche de Chambly,  or "White from Chambly".  Like the Wittekerke (#3), this gets is color from the unfiltered wheat in it.  New to the Kalendar this year.  Please comment/rate.

11. Guinness

Brewer: Guinness Ltd.

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Link: www.guinness.com

Style: Irish Dry Stout

ABV: 4.2%

Guinness is a legend and in a category unto itself.

Not everyone's taste, but definitely a "world's best" worthy of the Kalendar.

Look at that low ABV!  That must be why they drink so much of it!

12. Pilsner Urquell

Brewer: Plzensky Prazdroj

Location: Plzen, Czech Republic

Link: www.pilsner-urquell.com

Style: Czech Pilsner

ABV: 4.4%

A pilsner (or pils) is a subcategory of Lagers.  They're light in color and very crisp and clean.  The word Urquell is actually a Germany word meaning "the original source".  Pilsners get their name from the city they're famously from:  Plzen, Czech Republic.  Enjoy this world's best Pilsner.  (Another great Pils from there was originally named Budweiser, but someone else stole the name!  And now that original brew has been renamed Budvar.)  On the Miller Lite cans it states "a true Pilsner beer."  False.  Taste this one and you'll know the difference!

13. Paulaner Hefeweizen

Brewer: Paulaner Brauerei

Location: Munich, Germany

Link: www.paulander.de

Style: Hefeweizen (Yeast Wheat)

ABV: 5.5%

Drinking Instructions:

You MUST hold this up to a light and gently swirl the yeast off the bottom of the bottle before opening.  Gently swirl, don't shake!  Swirl for 30-45 seconds, and then let the bottle sit for another minute.  Then open and pour it into a glass. 

This is a yeast-wheat beer.  Many Americans are not exposed to this sort of thing, which is unfortunate.  The closest thing we get is Blue Moon or Magic Hat's Circus Boy.

A classic summer drink in Germany (for it's lightness), often served with a lemon, but not necessary.  Please rate/comment.

14. Victory Golden Monkey

Brewer: Victory Brewing Co

Location: Downingtown, PA

Link: www.victorybeer.com

Style: Tripel (3x malt of a Trappist "simple")

ABV: 9.5%

Warning:  this has a lot of alcohol in it!  Sip it slowly from a glass.

Despite it's high ABV, it tastes great.  Malty without being syrupy.

Victory is a great brewery with lots of creative brews.  This one ranks at the top!

15. Hofbrau Maibock

Brewer: Staatliches Hofbrauhaus

Location: Munich, Germany

Link: www.hofbraeu-muenchen.de

Style: Maibock

ABV: 7.2%

Hofbrau is one of the six historic breweries in Munich.  And of course, it's made it to Pittsburgh's South Side as well.  Maibock is a famous brew in the Bock style that's usually served in May (so it's a little out of place in this Kalendar, but many people have never tried it, and Save On Beer had 3 cases left).  Bocks traditionally have a goat on the label for some reason.  This one does not.

Bocks are great.  They are a specific kind of lager that takes a long time to ferment and mature.  It's relatively high in ABV, and it has both a strong malt and hops flavor.  It's just more intense.  Double Bocks and Triple Bocks are even more intense.

Some people don't like how "sweet" this particular brew comes across.  What do you think?  Please rate/comment.

16. Rogue Dead Guy

Brewer: Rogue Ales

Location: Newport, Oregon

Link: www.rogue.com

Style: Maibock

ABV: 6.5%

Rogue makes some interesting stuff.  This particular offering was placed in the Kalendar right beside the Hofbrau Maibock so that you could compare and contrast (see the description of Bocks in #15).

17. Pious Monk Dunkel

Brewer: Church Brew Works

Location: Lawrenceville/Pittsburgh, PA

Link: www.churchbrew.com

Style: Munich Dunkel (dark) Lager

ABV: 4.3%

Right in our own back yard, this brewery-in-a-church produces one of my personal favorite beers.  Pious Monk is a great imitation of the Munich dark lager.  Sometimes these can come across as smokey, but this one is pretty balanced.  Dark in color but light in taste, and never sits heavy in the tummy.  It surprises.  Thoughts?

18. Troeg's Hop Back

Brewer: Troeg's Brewing Co

Location: Harrisburg, PA

Link: www.troegs.com

Style: American Amber Ale / Red Ale

ABV:  6.0%

This is a catch-all category of styles.  It's Amber.  And this one is rather hoppy, but it's not as hoppy as an IPA.  Troeg's does many nice beers.  This is one of them.  And since the PA state capital is bankrupt, we'll do our part to contribute to your business's good sales.

19. Fuller's ESB

Brewer: Fuller,Smith & Turner PLC

Location: Chiswick, London, UK

Link: www.fullers.co.uk

Style: ESB = Extra Special Bitter

ABV: 5.9%

A famous British brew style and selection.  And a stately bottle.

ESBs aren't supposed to be bitter, but you'll notice a depth of taste in this.

And it's not supposed to be very carbonated. 

Drink this in an imperial pint glass if you have one!

Cheers, mates!

20. Bell's Best Brown Ale

What a lovely label!

Brewer: Bell's Brewery

Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Link: www.bellsbeer.com

Style: English Brown Ale

ABV: 5.8%

Brown ales are low in hops, so other stuff comes through in the malt, especially nutty flavors in English Brown Ales.  Ever had a Newcastle?  A great taste!  And these can go down easily (READ: wish I had another to drink).

21. Duvel

Brewer: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat

Location: Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium

Link: www.duvel.be

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

ABV: 8.5%

Duvel wins the award this year of the most expensive bottle in the Kalendar at $86.99/case.  Pour this into a glass and sip it slowly!  It will pour a large foamy head.

This has a high ABV and will have interesting intensities of flavor.  Not for chugging: enjoy this one like a fine wine.

22. Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Brewer: Boston Beer Co

Location: Boston, Mass.

Link: www.samueladams.com

Style: Bock

ABV: 5.5%

New label this year.  It was selected for Dec 22 to officially welcome winter.

This wins the award for the least expensive case in the Kalendar at $29.99.

A bock beer has intense flavors.  This 'winter lager' is meant to warm the heart and soul.  Samuel Adams is a world-class brewer.  Enjoy!

23. Great Lakes Christmas Ale

Brewer: Great Lakes Brewing Co

Location: Cleveland, OH

Link: www.greatlakesbrewing.com

Style: Winter Warmer

ABV: 7.5%

Cleveland, oh gosh.  Well, we don't usually have many nice things to say about it, but Great Lakes Brewing is a bright spot for Cleveland. 

With Christmas Eve upon us, we present the Christmas Ale: a seasonal 'winter warmer' that whacks you with strong malt and spices.  

Advent is over tonight, and I hope you all get a chance to encounter the Lord Jesus - who came among us while we were yet far off, seeking our own agendas - to save us from our sinful natures, brokenness, and iniquities.  He is our only hope.

"The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."

24. Penn St Nikolaus Bock

Brewer: Pennsylvania Brewing Co

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Link: www.pennbrew.com

Style: Bock

ABV: 6.0%

What else could we end with?  A dark, intense bock beer for Santa.

Merry Christmas, everyone!  See you next year.